Slow Jam, Slow Jelly
by mahalaga
Summary: A story about savoring the sweet and sticky mess that is life. Bella loves her new life in the Golden State. Edward is still living in the cold and in the rain of Washington State. How will these lifelong friends [with tendencies to want to be more than friends at times] finally connect and where will be the place they finally call home with one another?
1. Chapter 1

Note: Twilight and its characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. This story is mine.

This is my first fic. I am having fun with this fic and doing it all on my own. I don't know how often I'll be updating but my goal is to have it completed by August (2012). I hope you enjoy.

**Slow Jam, Slow Jelly**

Chapter 1 – You're part of my entity, here for infinity

"Isabella Marie Swan, will you do me the extraordinary honor of…" Jacob takes a pause to catch his breath, to steady himself. He looks back up at me again and his stare is very piercing. He looks back down again at the table top, gathers a handful of french fries, and stuffs them into his mouth. I look at him in annoyance. Jacob Black always choosing his stomach over anything else. "wooofd you dume dhee honorophfff…" I roll my eyes and can't believe this moment is happening right now. Jacob takes a moment to properly chew his food and then smartly reaches for his chocolate shake. The sweet creamy cold shake gives him the confidence he needs and in one quick breath, he spews out, "Would you be my groomsman?"

If I'm hearing him right, he just asked me to be his groomsman. I grab a napkin and wipe off a piece of french fry and his spit off of one of my knuckles. I ball up the napkin and playfully throw it as his forehead. "You want me to be one of your groomsmen?"

Jacob affirmatively nods and takes another bite out of his burger.

Relief.

"Of course Jake, I'll be your groomsman, er…groomswoman." He smiles back at me, yellow mustard staining his teeth. "So, that was the really important question you flew all the way down here to ask me. I thought for the past 2 weeks it was something really big like you needed a kidney or some of my blood."

Jacob makes a gagging noise and slurps down more of his chocolate milkshake. "Ew, Bells, don't mention blood around me. You know even mentioning blood around me makes me want to barf."

"Hold up…does this mean I get to wear a tux like the rest of the guys?" I ask, hopeful that this is one wedding where I can be comfortable. And I'm not reminded once again that a woman my age hasn't had much change in her bust measurements since her teens.

Jacob lets out a big hearty laugh. The seagulls that have been stalking us for our food have flown away. He's only been in LA for half a day and I can't help but think he'd fit in really well here. He's got nice caramel skin, he's good looking, has a great physique. All the men in West Hollywood would certainly eat him right up. He steals one of my onion rings and smiles at me. I've missed that smile.

"No, Bella. You may be one of the guys but you're still wearing a dress. Leah's orders are LBD and Christian Choo heels. I don't know what that all means. But I'm sure you'll figure it out. You're a girl. You've also been a girl in a few weddings before."

5 bridesmaid dresses hang up in my closet. I've been a 3 time honoree of being an usher. And I've ran up and down a church aisle as a flower girl twice in my lifetime. At least being a groomsman will hopefully be more relaxing. Guys just need a tuxedo, a flask, and a ride to the wedding and reception. Of course, I'll have to look presentable for the wedding day. But I wouldn't have my e-mail inbox flooded with photo attachments of possible bridesmaid dresses and a list of salons for all the girls to get together to get plucked, teased, and tortured for beauty. And with a little black dress I can blend into the crowd. Now I just need to find a clutch big enough for my flask to fit into. Alcohol is always my +1 at weddings. Despite how excited I need to be for Jacob, I still can't help but feel a bit of sadness about it all though. "Okay. I'll just call Leah and see what type of dress and shoes she'll approve of."

Jacob sees the disappointment written all over my face. "But you know I did fight for you Bella." I look up at him, confused. "Yeah, I convinced Leah that you can wear whatever you want at the reception."

"Really? Oh my gosh, Jake, thank y…"

"Na-uh, not so fast though Swan. I call shots on your kicks for the reception though." Jacob does the eyebrow wiggle at me and I know I'm in trouble.

He pays for our lunch and we make our way to my car. Jacob wants to change into a t-shirt and wear some sandals to the pier. I was expecting him to change in a gas station bathroom. But nope, the boy disrobes right on Ocean Avenue, earning him a few catcalls. He blushes and mutters to me, "I forgot I'm not in Forks right now. Sorry Bells." Before he shuts the trunk of my car, he takes out a shoe box out of his suitcase and hands it me. I take it from him like there is a bomb or severed head in the box. "Swan, don't look at me that way. It's not a box of worms. I wouldn't do that to you…again." He shuts the trunk of my car and we both sit on the car bumper. He nudges me to open the box.

I look at the box and at least I can be happy it didn't have some high-end designer's name plastered all over the side of it. I peer into the box and find two black slip-on Vans with some sort of design and block lettering on them. I peel back more of the tissue paper the shoes are wrapped in and now it's my turn to laugh loudly and scare the seagulls away. On the side of each shoe is the image of a timber wolf running. The right toe cap in big block letters is the word 'TEAM', on the left toe cap in the same big block letters it reads, 'JACOB'.

"Leah is always bragging about her girl posse. So, I had these custom made for my boys. We're a team. Once you're part of my pack, we always have each other's backs."

"Calm down Dr. Seuss." Jacob pinches my nose and then helps me try on the shoes. I model them for him for a bit, pretending the sidewalk is a runway. I'm making my way back to him and then he decides to meet me halfway and picks me up. He spins me around in his arms and we let the early summer sun kiss our smiling faces. We both don't have to say it, we both feel that we've missed this.

"So, you excited about heading back to Forks for the wedding? It's been what, 30 years, since you abandoned all of us."

I balk and laugh loudly at his accusation. Right. I'm the one that abandoned all of you.

"Abandoned? Whatever. You know I still keep in touch with all of you losers. My cell phone bill sure is proof that I'm connected to that green, cold, rainy place still even after all these years."

It's the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend and the tourists in California are here with their kids, fanny packs, and looking really pale. We're making our way across the street to the pier. Jake was looking forward to some ice cream after lunch. I could already tell that the next 5 days would be nothing but eating thanks to my favorite foodie. Owner and chef of a successful restaurant in Seattle, he definitely has food on the brain all the time. On the drive to the west side of LA, he kept talking about our reservations at really fancy places like Red Medicine and Providence. He also proudly told me that he made sure to follow certain LA food trucks on twitter so he knew where they would be parked at while he was in LA. In-n-out burger, Sprinkles cupcakes, Porto's, Diddy Riese, Millions of Milkshakes…I was smart enough to stock the pantry with ginger ale and Pepto Bismol just in case.

"Well, I can't blame you for staying here in California." He muses and looks out at the glittering Pacific Ocean. "Leah tells me that in Forks, it's raining more than ever…"

I smirk to myself and say to him, "But we'll still have each other."

Jacob laughs out loud again. I've really missed his laugh and his company. Jacob always leaves me the best voicemails. Most of them are lengthy, always silly, and guaranteed to make me smile. There was one summer when he'd call and just sing that damn _Umbrella_ song every other day. Present day, I still can't stand Rihanna.

"Well, you can always stand under my umbrella, ella, ay, ay, under my umbrella…Bella. Even as a married man, I'll always make room for you. Leah is my best girl but you'll always be my best friend."

The music from all the rides on the pier gets louder and the air around us begins to smell like popcorn and various sugary sweetness. Jacob is getting married at the end of this summer, Labor Day weekend. I am happy for him. He's the closest thing I ever had to a brother in my life. But despite being happy for him, I can't help but think I'm losing another one. I'm losing another one to _it_.


	2. Chapter 2

Note: Twilight and its characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. This story is mine.

Thank you for taking the time to read and also review this story. This chapter is a bit longer than the first but I hope you all still enjoy it.

I also would like to say a special thank you to ED for being my proof-reader and pushing me to get this story out and sharing it.

**Slow Jam, Slow Jelly**

Chapter 2 – I want to be the one to walk in the sun

Jacob left LA on the 29th day of May, a Tuesday. And 2 days later, LA was properly saying hello to June. The first Saturday in June, I attended a wedding for my coworker, Carmen. The wedding took place on the rooftop of her apartment building where she met her now husband, Eleazar. One lazy January Sunday morning 3 years ago, Carmen's cat, Mr. Bigglesworth, or Biggie for short, ran up on the fire escape and climbed his way up onto the roof. Eleazar was out walking his dog, Talib, when he saw Carmen scurrying around the roof of the building and calling out, "Biggie! Biggie! Biggie!" He couldn't help but laugh to himself and in his head complete the rest of the lyric. _Biggie, Biggie, Biggie, can't you see, sometimes your words just hypnotize me._

As a hip-hop fan and a recent New York transplant in LA on that day 3 years ago, he decided to call up to Carmen to see if she needed his help. He took the elevator up to the roof to meet her and to help find Mr. Bigglesworth. When they finally found Mr. Bigglesworth, tucked underneath a kiddie pool one of the tenants had left on the rooftop, they both decided they wanted to get some Sunday brunch. And now they would be having Sunday brunch until death do they part.

In his speech to his beautiful bride, Eleazar mentioned, "I didn't realize how much I missed New York until one of my favorite East Coast rapper's name was coming out of this amazing woman's mouth one morning. She may be an LA angel, born and raised, but to me she's got the heart and soul of New York. And every day I am grateful for being so lucky to always feel like I never left home. Home is always right beside me." Carmen countered back after he set his champagne flute down, "And I knew he was the one when he didn't care when I told him that I didn't actually name my cat after the Notorious B.I.G. I'm a fan of Austin Powers."

Guests enjoyed some great tacos served up fresh by a tacquero man at the reception. I couldn't help but notice that with each plate of carne asada or pollo asado tacos, he made sure to wink at every single girl at the party. If he managed to get a giggle out of someone, he added an extra scoop of fresh guacamole to their plate. So, since I was aware of his game and I had love for guacamole, I let out a small giggle for after he complimented me on my eyes. As for dessert, the ice cream sundae bar they had set up was a huge hit as we all watched the sun set. The party went on well into the early morning hours with small tea lights twinkling and being reflected in the happily wedded couple's eyes. They danced the night away, surrounded by their friends and family, as Japanese paper lanterns slightly swayed with cool summer night breezes. I was convinced the Los Angeles stars in the sky that night were envious again of all the fun people living in LA have.

After that first wedding weekend in June, my summer weekends and summer nights were packed. June had me party hopping from baby showers to graduation parties. I also skyped with Charlie and Renee on Father's day as we all enjoyed dinner together via a keyboard and laptop screen. July had me spreading out a blanket on a green lawn and watching a movie in the park with friends. Fourth of July weekend was spent down in San Diego to indulge in some deep-fried Fair food and fireworks fun. The next weekend my friends and I made another trip down to San Diego just to check out the Comic-Con festivities. Every year, it's always the best place to people watch and sometimes, if one is lucky, some celebrity sightings. August is always the most interesting summer month in my opinion. Everyone is aware of the inevitable seasonal change. We know by the end of August, we'll be reaching for our cardigans to put over our tank tops more often than we'd like. We have that urgency to live up the last summer month of that year. But we also want to mellow out and really enjoy those 31days August is giving us. So, my friends and I tried to find that balance. There were outdoor summer concerts but also nights at smaller local bars to check out the local music scene. We escaped to darkened, air-conditioned theaters to catch more summer movie blockbusters, but we also attempted to celebrity gawk at red carpet premieres. And leave it to Alice, Rosalie, and I to have a few ditch days from work. My usually pale alabaster skin had turned into a more cream colored hue. So, during all the festivities and celebrating, I didn't realize how soon Labor Day weekend was upon all of us, even as I booked my tickets back home for Jacob and Leah's wedding. What can I say, Cyndi Lauper was right, girls just want to have fun.

"Why don't you try these Jeffrey Campbell shoes? It may be a bit edgy for Forks, but you need to show them that you're not that little girl anymore that they knew growing up. You're a Los Angeleno now Bella Bunny," Alice said, shoving some spiked heels in my face. They were literally spiked heels; sharp studs ran up and down the clunky heel of the shoe. It looked more like a Medieval weapon than a shoe.

"And before you dismiss these shoes and say they are too high, these are platform heels." She points to the deathtraps. "They are more comfortable because there is more surface area for the bottom of your feet to spread out upon and keep your balance."

Dammit. The pixie knew she had appealed to the very Virgo logical part of me. Plus, I did like that the shoes weren't too girly or precious. I was, afterall, going to be surrounded by a bunch of stinky boys. The way they tore up and ran around Forks it seemed like they were a pack of wolves. I needed good shoes to keep up with all of their wedding shenanigans. I took the shoes from Alice and gave her a tight smile. She smiled back at me and confidently said, "I wouldn't steer you wrong Bunny."

Bunny. She's been calling me that since our freshman year at UCLA. We were usually at the dining hall at the same time for dinner every night. She told me she'd always walk in and notice I was chomping on a carrot stick. Being two freshmen from out of state and also small towns, being transported to a big city like LA, it was definitely a culture shock. The first couple of months were tough. My two dorm mates, both juniors and the same age, instantly bonded more since I was still a young freshman. But then one night I found Alice at my usual table and in front of my usual seat was a cup of carrot sticks.

"So, are you excited about going back home?" Alice asked.

Ever since Jacob confirmed that I was going to be in the wedding party, it was also a summer of excited phone calls, text messages, facebook wall posts, and tweets. It seemed like all of Forks was so excited to have me back. I shuddered at the thought of all of them up there in that sleepy, damp town.

"Um, no, not particularly," I answer back, trying to look really interested in the Manolo Blahnik shoe display.

"You know Bella Bunny, I've known you for years and yet I still don't know why you hate your hometown so much. Your family and friends visit you here in LA all the time but you barely make the trip up there. It somewhat makes me wonder if something super traumatic happened to you back home." She narrows her eyes down at me and I brace myself for whatever may come spewing out of her mouth. "Did some guy break your heart and abandoned you in the moss-covered damp forest up there?"

I roll my eyes at her, "No, Alice. Nothing juicy or depressing like that has ever happened to me." A guy would have to be interested in me for that abandonment to have happened. No one ever tried to date me, touch me, kiss me, or fuck me. To have my heart broken, someone needed to have actually pursued me. Nope, the type of heart break I had was years of rejection and being alone. I never could make up my mind whether or not which was worse: being rejected or being invisible.

"Alright. The appropriate undergarments, make-up, accessories are purchased for her." I breathe a sigh of relief as I am saved by the very pregnant Rosalie McCarty. "Are we almost done? Emmett, Jr. is craving some salt-n-vinegar chips dipped in some Gold Medal Ribbon ice cream."

Alice makes a gagging noise towards Rosalie and remarks, "You are the living advertisement for wrapping it up and taking birth control."

"Quit it you little twerp. You know in the beginning I was just like you, I didn't want kids. I wanted more time with my husband as newlyweds. But here I am looking like a boat. I always feel so bloated and my ankles are always swollen." I can see her practically grinding her teeth at Alice but she keeps talking. "And I feel ugly. I don't get to wear cute clothes anymore. I'm hormonal and tired all the time…dammit Alice!" Rosalie starts to walk off, away from us, huffing and puffing. Alice and I look at each other trying to figure out if she needed to go to the bathroom, wanted to cry in private, or to punch something. Rosalie these days was always having meltdowns at the drop of a hat. We were all looking forward to her due date of October 29th. We would have gone after her but we learned quickly that a pregnant Rosalie didn't need to be coddled. She just needed to yell even more at everyone.

I shook my head at Alice as we both found seats, so I could finally try on the different pairs of shoes she had picked out for me. I began to reprimand her, "Alice, you know better than to mess with a hungry pregnant woman, especially if that hungry pregnant woman is Rosalie McCarty." Alice and I met Rosalie Hale, before she was a McCarty, in an art history class in the spring of our freshman year of college. She walked into the lecture hall and was just another beautiful, tall, blonde, blue-eyed California beauty that Alice and I both admired and also avoided because we were intimidated. She sat four rows right in front of us and it was no surprise that all the males in the class were quick to swoop in for all the available seats surrounding her. Even Emmett McCarty, her now husband and father of her first child, was seated 5 seats to the left of her, 2 rows back.

Alice and I would get to class and watch as the men would try and work their way up to talk to her. But in the end, strong, silent, and big-hearted Emmett, was the one that won her over. He seemed to never bring a pen or pencil with him to class. It turns out he never did just so he had the excuse to talk to her and ask for a pen. She later confessed to him months later, she always made sure she packed extra pens in her pouch specifically for him.

We bonded with Rosalie for a completely different reason in that art history class though. Alice and I were going over our lecture notes before class one day and noticed how in the art world, the great artists that got more recognition was pretty much all males. In class that day, we both brought it up to our professor's attention. He simply dismissed our observation and trying to reason with us that, "Well, that is what the class History of Women in Art is for. You ladies should take it if you would like next semester." Alice and I were both shocked at our professor's explanation. Then we saw Rosalie's perfectly manicured hand go up and then she began, "So, Mr. Berty, what you're trying to explain to the class is the only artists worth our time, our money, our education, in this class, are the male ones?" Mr. Berty was flabbergasted, sweating bullets, and Rosalie was just getting started. "This world that we are living in is already so male dominated. Take a look at the Billboard charts, the New York Times Bestsellers list. Sure, some women in the past have been pioneers and have found great success in heavily male dominated arenas of life, both personally and professionally. So, it's really sad that a professor like yourself can be so narrow minded and to limit our exposure to things. You really are quite a disappointment." There was silence in the room for a good two minutes. Mr. Berty had an interrogation spotlight still shining down on him. He scurried around his notes for a bit and wrote a few things down. He apologized to the class, specifically making eye contact with me, Alice, and Rosalie. As a result, for the rest of the semester, we were exposed to tons of amazing artwork done both by males and females. When we left class that day, we waved good-bye and all smiled at one another. The next class meeting we sat next to Rosalie, finding kindred spirits in one another that females always have to stick to each other and stand up for one another. We knew females were the ones who really ran the world.

Alice is getting ready to defend herself from my scolding, when we hear her phone vibrate in her Prada purse. She quickly digs for her phone and her face lights up. "Oh, it's Jasper…I'll be back right back." I brush her off and start to take the lid off of one of the shoe boxes. Alice is about 3 feet away from me before she turns around, uncurls her left pointer finger at me, and says, "By the time I get back, I want decisions Bunny." Her wedding band and her Tiffany & Company patented princess cushioned-cut style diamond engagement ring from Jasper Whitlock catches the light, making it sparkle, and she waves at me dismissively. In that moment, I am reminded me of how bare my fingers are. But I easily shrug off that feeling and get to work with shoe making decisions.

As I walk around in various new shoes, trying to get a feel for how comfortable I am in each of them, I can't help but think that tomorrow I would be on a plane back home. If I'm being honest, the idea of home is lost upon me. Even my little studio apartment downtown isn't home to me. I haven't had that feeling of home since I was a kid. The only time I felt at home was when I was in that meadow. My thoughts drift back to those white, purple, and yellow wildflowers that I would press in my old books as a kid. I start to daydream of my very ideal childhood and it quickly turns to thoughts of him. As kids, I remember his hair was much more red and tamed down. As we got older, his hair color turned into a more serious reddish brown shade and sexy. Yup, he definitely got sexy. He finally grew into his teeth because as kids, I had to be honest, they were somewhat too big for his head. His eyes though, his vivid green eyes, even after all these years, still stayed the same. I always loved how everything else could change but those green eyes never did. But too soon, I suddenly catch the scent of bread and hot dogs, taking me away from my meadow thoughts. I turn around and see Alice, holding a waddling Rosalie's hand. Rosalie is carrying around a blue and yellow, oily paper bag. The oil made the bag transparent enough so I could see something was half-eaten inside of it.

"Look who I found outside eating a Wetzel's Pretzel hot dog," Alice smiles shyly at me.

"I also needed to go to the bathroom too," Rosalie huffs out, snatching her hand away from Alice abruptly. "I still want Gold Medal Ribbon ice cream and salt-n-vinegar chips," adding a pout at the end.

I see Alice bite the inside of her left cheek and then she turns to me, "So, what's the verdict?"

I point to the small stack on the floor and say, "Steve Madden for the bachelorette party, Jeffrey Campbell for the bachelor party, Something Bleu for the wedding." Alice starts to jump up and down like a small, yippy Chihuahua. I make my way to the registers mumbling about wanting some Baskin Robbins too. But Alice keeps talking to the air around us about how I'm getting better at shopping and fashion decisions. Rosalie and I let her yapper on, hoping her mouth will get dry or a bug will fly into it. In any event, it'll make her stop talking and we can laugh at her.

Later that afternoon we are lounging around my place, eating Rosalie's crazy pregnant lady craving food of the day. Rosalie clears her throat and asks me, "So, Bella, remind me again who is picking you up at the airport tomorrow?"

"My friend, Edward. Edward Cullen." I answer back as nonchalantly as possible.

"Oh, rightrightright. Edward Cullen." Rosalie and Alice's eyes dart to one another and they seem to be enjoying some inside joke. Rosalie dives into her bowl of ice cream and crushed up salt-n-vinegar chips. She scoops up more of her ice cream and potato chip concoction into her mouth and then licks the spoon clean. "Edward Cullen. He's got such an old man name. But I bet you probably think his name is perfection."

Do not blush Bella, stuff your face with ice cream, munch on more chips. Repeat the process again. Do not blush Bella, stuff your face with ice cream, munch on more chips.

"Oh Rose, quit teasing her," Alice says as she moves to refill her bowl with more ice cream. Just as she gets up to go to the kitchen, she whisphers in my ear, "And for the record Bella, we know. We know everything."

I can't help but bitchface both of them in that moment. They couldn't possibly know one thing about Edward Cullen.


	3. Chapter 3

Note: Twilight and its characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. This story is mine.

Thank you for taking the time to read, review, favorite, and follow. It means a lot to me that you're taking the time to read this story. And from now on, there will be more Edward in the story. So, all Team Edward members put your drinks up and link up!

Thanks again to ED. She is the best.

**Slow Jam, Slow Jelly**

Chapter 3 – And then I saw beautiful…

This is not the first time I am in the backseat with Edward Cullen.

If Jacob Black was driving any car, Leah Clearwater always made sure she was in the front seat next to him, obnoxiously and very loudly exclaiming, "Shotgun!" But these days she doesn't need to be so boisterous about laying a claim on him, it's a given now, her place will always be by Jacob's side always.

Edward leans over and whispers in my ear, "This is nice. It's been a while." I playfully nudge him with my elbow in his side. He doubles over dramatically, groaning in pain, as if I actually did damage to him. After he recovers, he smiles at me, and then playfully pinches my nose and keeps my nostrils shut. I try to push away his hand away but he has a pretty good grip on my nose. I do the only thing I can think of to get him to stop. I take my thumb and pointer finger and pretend I'm a crab. I pinch the back of his hand, he yelps in surprise, and he immediately releases my nose. I am grateful I can breathe again. He is in his seat, smiling down at the back of his hand where I pinched him. He looks over at me and says, "I should have known you'd fight back." I immediately feel guilty for causing him pain, even if it was very miniscule. I reach over to take the hand that I pinched and slowly caress it.

I have no idea how long I was doing that until I heard the roar of a car engine come to life. We both look up and see Jacob and Leah smirking back at us. I immediately let go of Edward's hand. Jacob, the man I forever can count on to tease me, pipes up with, "Wow Bells, not even 5 minutes alone with a groomsman and you're trying to work your evil woman ways on him. And with Edward, how desperate can you be?"

I see from the corner of my eye, Edward slump in his seat. I know he is about to say something, probably to defend himself. But I cut him off by saying, "Oh the plans I have for the guests at your wedding. Uncle Jesse is gonna be really happy he decided to RSVP to attending. He's gonna take one look at me and say, 'Have mercy.'"

Edward is the only one that laughs and catches my _Full House_ joke. We hear Jacob sigh and say, "Uncle Jesse? Leah, is he on your side? I swear to you this guest list is so out of hand."

As we pull out of the airport and onto the highway, Jacob and Leah are still having a heated discussion over how big the wedding invite list got. I use this time wisely, poke Edward's arm and mouth out, "I'm sorry." He gives me a warm smile back as if to say I am forgiven and tugs on my right earlobe playfully.

I was only expecting Edward to greet me at the airport in Seattle. We were excited about our little road trip back to Forks. Edward even boasted that he made a playlist for us and I was allowed to take as many bathroom breaks as I wanted. But then Leah and Jacob got wind of our plans and invited themselves along on our little road trip. They even offered that we could take their brand new Escalade as our road trip chariot. In all fairness, it did make sense since we were all leaving at the same time for their Wedding Weekapalooza. All I had left to do was roll with the changes and try my best to hide my disappointment.

We are about two hours away from Seattle and the car still smells like the greasy fast food we all consumed.

"I'm hungry," Jacob proclaims.

"Babe, we just had lunch an hour ago. How can you be hungry?" Leah says, she reaches out and puts her left hand on his upper right thigh. I immediately see her engagement ring on her finger. I always knew Leah would be a round cut diamond type of girl. He winks at her, smiles, takes her hand into his, and kisses it.

"I want something sweet," Jacob looks in the rearview mirror and stares at me. I stick my tongue out at him and he laughs out loud.

Edward clears his throat. "I could go for some coffee."

"Alright. The next gas station we're getting some essential road trip supplies," Jacob rejoices and pushes down harder on the accelerator.

As soon as Jacob sees a gas station, he pulls into the lot and makes his way into the mini-mart. Leah is quick out of the car too, muttering to both Edward and I that she needs a bathroom break. And then Edward and I are left in the car, sitting in comfortable silence. Edward is the first to speak and asks, "You want anything in there?"

I shake my head and say, "No, thank you."

"You sure?" Edward asks again. I shake my head again. We see a lot of movement inside the mini-mart; Jacob is going up and down each aisle, loading up his arms with food. I laugh a little, point at Jacob, and I say, "I'm pretty sure Jacob is grabbing enough food for all of us." We see Leah suddenly appear from the ladies bathroom and she starts to follow Jacob around, shaking her head in shame. We both laugh at our friends.

"Alright, Bella, hold down the fort," Edward says and starts to head out of the car.

"Ay, ay, Captain," I respond and give him a military salute. He smiles that crooked smile at me and I have the sudden urge to sing every love song to him. But thankfully before I start to serenade him with _That's when I'll stop loving you_ by *NSYNC, he shuts the door and walks his sexy back towards the mini-mart.

A few minutes later, they all are back in the car. Edward deposits a bag on top of my lap. I quirk my eyebrows up at him in confusion and anger, since I told him I didn't need anything.

"I know you Bella. I know you get cranky if you don't drink enough water for the day. And Leah is the only one allowed to be a tyrant, she is the bride after all," Edward says as he closes the door of the car.

"Hey! I am not a bridezilla!" Leah says defensively, and throws a handful of almonds at Edward's face. The almonds don't faze him as he sips on his cup of coffee.

"Leah! Dammit! That's food! Edward quick! Help me pick them up. 10 second rule, they are still good," Jacob says, diving over the car's middle console to pick up the ones that fell on the car floor.

After Edward helps Jacob save his precious almonds, he digs through the bag in my lap and retrieves a crumb cake to go with his coffee. I finally look into the bag and see 5 cold bottled waters, a bag of Cheetos puffs, peanut butter Twix, a small box of chocolate chip cookies, and a travel size pouch of wet-naps. All my favorite junk food snacks were in the bag. But the wet-naps were probably the most endearing thing he purchased for me. For a girl that grew up around so many boys, one would think I was used to being dirty. Yes, I was used to dirt but it didn't mean I had to be dirty. Edward always understood that about me, he always treated me like I was a girl. I take a water bottle out of the bag and hold it up to his coffee cup. We both 'clink' our beverage cups and I open up by bag of Cheetos for him and I to share.

In 30 minutes, in the backseat of a car, Edward and I have consumed half a bag of Cheetos together. I also shared the other half of my peanut butter Twix with him. I offer him a wet-nap but instead he takes his Cheetos cheese encrusted thumb and touches my bottom lip. I don't know what possesses me to dart my tongue out and lick his cheesy Cheetos thumb. My tongue is still out and he takes that opportunity to run his pointer finger along the perimeter of my tongue. And the whole time during this exchange of my wet tongue and his long Cheetos cheese laced fingers; he's mischievously smiling at me. I don't lick all the Cheetos remains off his fingers but his fingers are definitely less orange. I was expecting him to wipe off the excess cheesy Cheetos residue on his jeans. But he actually takes the thumb and finger that I made wet with my tongue, and sticks them into his mouth. I bite my bottom lip in confusion and think to myself, _Is Edward flirting with me? And why is he flirting me like I'm some mother cat, cleaning him with my tongue? What is my life?_

Hearing the plastic bag being rustled off of my lap, Edward looks into the bag, and asks, "You're not gonna share your cookies with me Bella?"

"I'll share my cookies later," I say smugly and take the bag back.

Jacob mumbles loud enough for everyone in the car to hear, "We know you will Bells." It is then I realize, thanks to the rearview mirror, that Jacob probably saw the whole exchange of my attempt at sexy times with Edward. Thankfully the role of having to hit Jacob on the back of the head has been passed on to Leah. Besides, I have no energy to really hit him right now. My belly is fully of junk food and Edward has confuzzled my thoughts. It also doesn't help that I didn't get much sleep last night. Rosalie and Alice stayed later than I anticipated with apparently a much needed, and very delayed girl talk about Edward Cullen.

_"What do you mean? How do you bitches know a damn thing about Edward Cullen? He's my friend, not yours. We've known each other since both of our ages were one digit numbers."_

_"Gheese Bunny, territorial much?" Alice says, settling back into her seat on the couch with her refilled bowl of ice cream._

_"Sorry, sorry. You know how I feel about Edwa - er, my Forks friends. They are all like brothers to me. They are my family," I say, taking another scoop of ice cream into my mouth._

_ Rosalie throws a pillow at me and cries out, "Girl, how dense can you be? I swear I want to strangle you sometimes with how la-di-da you are with some things. You're a smart girl but sometimes you don't see what is right in front of you. Can Alice and I break it down for you please?"_

_"I have a feeling you two are gonna say whatever you're gonna say whether I say yes or no," I say in a bored tone, stuffing my mouth again with some creamy, cold ice cream._

_Alice doesn't miss a beat and starts to say, "I personally have been observing it for years now since we were freshmen in college. In the beginning I didn't think much of it. We all were keeping in touch with friends back home. We both thought he was just a friend, a really sweet guy. We respected that a girl and a guy could be friends because it's entirely possible."_

_Rosalie clears her throat and adds, "But then when we discovered that you practically had a boy band as friends growing up. So, Alice and I began to see the differences between your boys and Edward. In our early twenties, those boys kept in touch with you when they weren't out partying or hooking up with some easy lay in their classes. And if they did contact you, they usually were just generic e-mails or text messages. As we got older, they turned to you with how to impress their now wives or long-term, committed girlfriends. But Edward spent his Friday nights, his weekends, and all his free time talking to you. Edward always made sure you had an inspiring text message to wake up to every morning when you had a final for all four years of college. We thought maybe it would stop once we graduated college. But then it got even easier to communicate because everyone is now basically using a smartphone. And don't even get me started on Facebook or Twitter, because that boy is all up on your shit. Plus, the hours you two waste Skyping with one another is astonishing."_

_"Annnnnnd whenever he's in California, he always makes sure he stops by and visits you," Alice triumphantly adds._

_"Okay, one, we live in LA and one of the biggest airports in the world is located in this city. Sometimes to get back home for him, it's easier to take a flight out of LA. Two, his parents retired in Del Mar. Del Mar is only a few hours away from here, so he's not exclusively visiting just me. Three, if you two were living in another city from me, and I happened to be visiting where you two lived, of course, I am going to take the time out to see you both," I say, trying to be rational with them._

_"Valid points Miss Virgo," Rosalie sasses back at me. "But I'm willing to bet big money that when we see you smiling, looking down at your phone, you're probably texting or e-mailing with Edward. Bella, you practically drop everything to take his call. I've actually seen you spit out a bite of your Pop-Tart one morning when you saw his name appear on your caller ID. Just be honest with us Bella. You have feelings that are more than just friendly with Edward." _

_Alice gives me a pathetic pout and says, "You can admit it to us Bella. I'm sure growing up with boys your whole life, you weren't really allowed to talk about crushes or other boys. And let's face it, Renee isn't exactly the type of mother you'd go to get advice about boys. So admit it to us, your best girls, that you have a crush on Edward Cullen. Give the crush the power and attention it rightly deserves, especially when Rosalie and I can see he completely adores you."_

_I stare at both of them and wonder, how can I verbally admit to them that I have a crush on Edward when I can barely even admit it to myself?_

_"I don't know what to say to both of you," I timidly confess to the both of them._

_Rosalie starts to stand up, slings her purse over her shoulder, and says angrily, "Well, you don't have to say anything. We know you're probably gonna obsess over everything we've said in this conversation which is fine, that's just how you work." She stands over me and she beckons for me to stand up. She gives me a small smile, and with tears in her eyes, puffs out, "I'm not gonna see you for a whole week." Oh great, another Rosalie pregnancy meltdown. I suddenly feel her arms encircle me in a hug as she sobs on my shoulder. I look at the clock on the wall near the hallway and I visually see that in 30 seconds, her mood changes. She wipes her tears away from her cheeks and she's back to being bossy Rosalie. She looks me dead in the eyes and says, "Bella, you better have fun at the wedding okay? You're young, beautiful, smart, amazing. You're not pregnant. You can drink. So you better drink a lot because I can't." _

_Alice spikes up her hair and skips towards us. She loops her arm through Rosalie's, winks at me, and says, "Better get this fragile pregnant woman friend of ours home huh?" I nod and give her a good-bye hug as well. While I'm hugging her, she whispers in my ear, "Sorry we kinda ganged up on you tonight. Maybe you and Edward are just friends like you say you two are." She releases me from the hug, looks me in the eyes, and says, "But don't close yourself off to the idea of more with him or with any nice man that treats you as well as Edward does. Because you of all people deserve not only the type of friendship you have with Edward but to also fall in love with a man like Edward Cullen."_

I yawn to myself but Edward catches it and asks, "You tired?" I nod my head in tired silence at him and he frowns before saying, "I guess I should have gotten you some coffee too."

Edward takes off his seat belt, takes off his jacket, and then drapes it over his lap. Edward reaches over to me, unbuckles my seat belt, and waves me over to get closer to him. I roll my eyes at him but he rolls his eyes right back at me. I'm about to re-buckle myself into my seat but his hand stops me from completing the task. He takes my wrist and drags me across the seat so I'm cuddled up right by his side. Edward then proceeds to take the middle seat belt, wraps his arm around my waist, and with a click, I'm buckled up next to him.

"You can use my shoulder as your pillow," he whispers in my ear. He takes his jacket, still cozy from his body heat and smelling gloriously like him, and blankets me with it. I inhale his scent and love that he smells like warm buttery biscuits, spicy cinnamon, and sweet frosting. He starts to hum in my ear a song that is vaguely familiar. The lullaby, combined with the feeling of his warm breath on the side of my face, has me asleep within minutes.

A loud car horn blares and I jump in my seat, causing my head to knock against something hard. "Wakey, Wakey, from your friend Jakey," Jacob says and laughs, as he makes his way to the back of the car to unload our luggage.

"Shit!" Edward exclaims, "Dammit Jacob!" I realize the something I knocked my head against was Edward's head. I immediately gently cradle his head in my hands and say, "Oh my gosh, Edward are you okay? I'm so sorry." Edward runs his hands up and down my arms.

"I'm okay Bella," Edward attempts to evenly say to me. "Are you okay?" Before I could answer, the front door of my parent's home opens, and Renee is running across the yard to the car. In record time, she is flinging open the backseat doors and crawling her way up the car to hug me, to welcome me home.

"Oh Bella, Bella, Bella…it's good to have you home," Renee says, motherly tears running down her cheeks. She quickly realizes Edward is by my side and lunges away from me. "Oh my dear handsome boy, Edward, it's good to have you home too," and then she kisses him rather sloppily on his left cheek.

Edward and I are somewhat frozen in our seats. I hold my mother's hand and say, "It's good to be home Ma."

Jacob and Leah have unloaded the last of my luggage and Edward's from the back of the car. Renee tries to convince Jacob and Leah to stay for dinner. But Jacob is exhausted from the long drive, so they take a rain check for dinner. We wave our good-byes to the future bride and groom and tell them we would see them to tomorrow.

I turn to Edward and say, "So, I'll see you tomorrow at La Push?" He smiles and nods at me. I open up my arms to give him a hug and he gladly walks into my open arms. It is a great moment between Edward and me, but then I hear Renee clear her throat. Edward sheepishly backs away from my embrace and walks over to Renee to say his good-bye as well. Renee bears hugs him and I have to stifle my laughter. He gently pries himself away from her hug and politely says, "It was good seeing you Mrs. Swan. Please tell Mr. Swan I say hello."  
"I sure will Edward," Renee answers, brushing off some phantom dirt that is on Edward's shoulders. "So are you hungry? Did you want to stay for dinner?" she asks like the good mother she is.

Edward cocks his head slightly to the right and motions to the big white house two houses away from us. "Nah, I better unpack and get some sleep. I haven't been sleeping much these past couple of weeks. I had to revise some of my lesson plans for my class and the substitute teacher while I was gone for the wedding."

Renee gets a weird look on her face, her eyebrows furrow, and says, "No, no, no, Edward, you're having dinner with us. And I also insist that you stay with us. You'll be in that big, drafty house by yourself. I won't allow it."

"Maaaaaa…" I whine out loud. "Edward is perfectly fine in that house if he wants to stay there. It's technically his home. Carlisle and Esme I'm sure would also want him to check on it."

"Nope," Renee stubbornly says and grabs Edward's luggage and starts dragging it to the house.

"Maaaaaa…" I whine out loud again. Edward suddenly puts a hand on my shoulder and says, "It's okay Bella. And thank you Mrs. Swan, if it really would make you happy, I'll stay with you all." He takes his luggage from Renee and starts walking up the front steps, opening up the screen porch for me and Renee. When I pass by him, he says in a voice low enough for just me to hear, "Honestly, I'd probably end up walking back here anyway at some point. I'd probably get really lonely in that big house by myself." I know he probably said it not to make me feel sad but I can't help but feel that way.

"Come on," I say, giving him a small smile. "You're home now."

We help Renee finish making dinner and before I know it Charlie is home. He isn't surprised that Edward is gonna be staying in the guest bedroom for the week. He actually looks relieved, mumbling something about our safety being more solid now since there is a man in the house at night when he has to take the night shifts later this week. I smile to myself and think, Chief Charlie Swan never goes off duty. We help clear the dishes and then all four of us sit around the living room, catching up over coffee and butter sugar cookies. As soon as Renee sees me stretch and yawn, bedtime is upon all of us in the Swan household.

I put my toiletries bag next to Edward's toothbrush and shaving kit on the bathroom sink. After I wash my face and brush my teeth, I find Edward still in my bedroom, near my bookshelves. As I get closer to him, I see that he's taken down The BFG by Roald Dahl. I can't believe he remembered.

Edward is holding up a perfectly pressed yellow wildflower and then senses my presence back in my room, so he smiles, turns to me and says, "I was thinking about our meadow the other day. We should go back to our meadow sometime this week. It's been years for the both of us. I miss it."

Jacob never knew about that meadow, none of our friends did. It was the halfway place Edward and I would meet on the way to Jacob's house to play when we were kids. When we got older, the meadow became our personal shared haven from annoying parents and high school drama.

I smile warmly back at him and nod my head in agreement about returning to our meadow. I make my way over to my childhood bed while he puts the flower back inside the book, closes the book, and returns it to the shelf. He is almost out of the room when I stop him and ask, "Hey, were you humming a Sprung Monkey song to me earlier today?" I pat the empty space on the bed near me to invite him to stay a little bit longer. He walks over casually and sits down next to me. He lightly kicks my left foot with his right foot to get my attention.

"Yup, it was a Sprung Monkey song. 'Beautiful' by Sprung Monkey, "Edward says, and then starts to pick at the strap of his watch. "Remember how obsessed I was with that song when I first heard it," he recalls. He starts to hum the song for a few beats before I start to hum right along with him. He playfully kicks my left foot again and looks right at me. And before I can even react, he rises up from the bed and is hugging me. "I never stopped loving 'Beautiful'…good night Bella," he breathes into my neck and hair.

"Good night Edward, "I breathlessly say back to him.

I go to bed that night knowing that the distance between us tonight is just a shared wall. Before I drift off to sleep, I have this sudden urge to touch that shared wall between Edward and I. I put my palm up and spread my fingers out. I fall asleep, swearing I could feel the warmth of his hand through the layers of whatever the wall we were sharing was constructed of.


	4. Chapter 4

Note: Twilight and its characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. This story is mine.

Hi readers…I am deeply sorry for abandoning this story for about a month. It's been a weird and busy summer. Well, to be honest, it's always weird and busy in my life. But this past summer took the cake. I'm sorry again but I hope to update more often since things are somewhat getting back to 'normal' in my life. I'd like to thank you for taking the time out to read this story. I'd also like to send a special shout-out to Marissa for sending me that e-mail and her reaction to the finger licking Cheetos sexy times in the last chapter. I'd also like to dedicate this chapter to Kalani. She randomly texted me one day and asked me when I was gonna update the story. She pushed me and helped me get this chapter finished. So thanks again K.

**Slow Jam, Slow Jelly**

Chapter 4 - I'm kinda buzzed and it's all because...

First Beach was the only beach I thought I ever wanted to know for the rest of my life. But like most things of my childhood, I found over time and with some growing up, those aren't the things I want anymore. I glance over at Edward, driving his dad's vintage Mercedes, and I think to myself, _And then there are some things I will always want._

Edward and I are winding down the coast and I can't help but think the trees up here somehow still carry and echo the laughter of our childhood. I look at the horizon and I swear the waves whisper stories of summers gone by. I couldn't wait to step onto the ground of First Beach, pick up stones smoothed over by time, and put them in my pocket. I loved the feeling of the tiny pebbles in my pocket, like they were weighing me down to this place. But before I would leave First Beach, I would always throw the pebbles back into the ocean, back to where they belong.

The rocky cliffs and cooler temperatures of the beaches up here are definitely not what I've been used to since I started living in California. I can't help but smile though because I am forever grateful for the clouds and the rain of Forks. All that cold and wet weather made me yearn for places where the sun shines more. But I'm glad I got the chance to get away from Forks. Because as beautiful and beloved as my crescent shaped First Beach is, there is so much more beauty I got to discover in this world from getting away from this small hometown of mine. Although, I must admit, the way the wind breezes through the lush evergreen trees up here is much more soothing and melodic. The wind swooshing through palm trees in California isn't the same.

Edward and I get to First Beach and we see two canopies perfectly set up in a straight line for the party. Under one canopy is a long buffet table, stacked with platters of food. This is where we see Leah with her Matron of Honor, Rachel, and her Maid of Honor, Emily. We wave over to them but they don't seem to notice us. Rachel and Emily seem to be scolding Leah over something but Leah doesn't look phased by the conversation as she adds more food up on her plate. The neighboring canopy is much more crowded with people since it has a little make-shift bar underneath it. We see all the bridesmaids; Kim, Claire, Rebecca, and Angela, are lounging on overstuffed pillows, with wine glasses clutched to their hands. Not too far away from the bridesmaids, we see all the groomsmen; Sam, Embry, Paul, Jared, Quil, and Seth, sitting in Adirondack chairs, gulping down beers. We finally spy Jacob, scrolling through an IPod. He is intense concentration, looking for the perfect song or playlist it seems. And then suddenly, his face lights up, and puts the IPod back in the speaker docking station. A familiar 90s party song starts to filter out of the speakers and I can't help but laugh at him.

"Hey Jake, 1995 called, they want their music back," I playfully punch him in his side. Jacob puts me in a headlock and then pulls me into a bear hug before kissing the top of my head. He looks past me and sees Edward and immediately lets me go. They give each other the 'bro' hug, where they embrace awkwardly for 2 seconds, pat each other on the back, and let go.  
"Dude, the jams from the 90s still get the party started, you know this," Jacob says as he wiggles his butt and moves his shoulders in a rhythm to the beat of the music. I'm pretty positive I've seen the Fresh Prince of Bel Air do that move in an episode once. He grabs my wrists and says to me, "Throw your hands in the air Bells. This how we do it, shannaana, shananana, oooooh, it's Friday night and I feel alright, the party is here on the First Beach."

"Hey Jake, remind me who sings this song again?" I ask, attempting to move my hips and arms like I'm some music video chick. I only wish I had a wind machine right now to artfully tousle my hair around and then I would totally be a music video chick. _Ha! in my dreams._

"Montell Jordan," Jacob says as he does the Roger Rabbit, Running Man, and the Jiggy dance in a span of 30 seconds.  
"Oh, okay, let's keep it that way okay," I retort back, patting him on his shoulder. We both stop dancing and smile at each other. Jacob rolls his eyes at me and is about to put me into another headlock when we hear someone from a few feet away calling out my name.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Hollywood Bella," I look in the direction of where the voice is coming from and see Paul making his way over to us. Paul is a friend but he still gets on my nerves even after all these years because he is a cocky bastard. If I see him walk into a room, I immediately get up and walk to the farthest corner of the room just to get away from him. I look around for Edward, desperate for him to be my side, to act as a buffer from Paul so he doesn't get too close to me. I finally spy him taking out two beer bottles from a cooler. I give him one look and he runs over to me.

Edward mutters in my ear, as he twists the cap off of my beer bottle, "Sorry, with all that dancing, figured you could use a drink." We both clink our bottles together and look up to find Paul right in front of me. I take one long drag of the beer because I know I'm going need it if I have to talk to him. I look back at Paul again and I immediately want to gulp the rest of my beer down.

"So Bella, how is heavily polluted Smell LA?" Paul asks, with a creepy smile on his face.

And that is how most of the day is like for me at the party. They all takes turns when they have me cornered, asking me about my life in California (great weather pretty much all year round, I can't complain about that), what I'm doing there (still counseling, enjoying time with the friends I've made there), if I've experienced any celebrity sightings (my favorite was seeing Michelle Williams at the Farmer's Market), why I'm still single (my second toe is bigger than my big toe on both of my feet). I ask them about their kids, their houses, how Forks is like since I've been gone. All their kids are precious but are a handful. They all lament that each of their respective kids are growing up so fast. Angela told me about how they are adding another bedroom to their house since her and Ben are trying to have another child. Sam told me in detail how he built the house that him and Emily live in now. I tell Rachel no one is surprised that Paul and her ended up together, especially during our teen years. Jacob would come home from football practice and find Paul sitting on the couch, watching TV, eating his junk food. Jacob wasn't the biggest Paul fan either. So, seeing Paul munch on his Ruffles and Little Debbie snacks didn't help the situation. But the heart wants, what the heart wants, so even stubborn and persistent older brother Jacob couldn't stop Rachel and Paul from falling in love. But we both agreed at least Jacob has Embry as his brother-in-law since he married Rebecca, Jacob and Rachel's other sibling. Having Embry evened out having Paul being in the Black family. Quil and Claire are still Forks cutest couple even after high school ended almost 12 years ago. Jared and Kim tell me how they are moving to Seattle since Kim got a teaching position that would start in the spring at the school Edward is teaching at. They both seem a little sad that they are leaving Forks behind. But I assured them that they can always come back to Forks and that it will always be there for them. Plus, Edward, Jacob, and soon enough, Leah, will be there to make them feel welcome in the city. Lastly, Seth finally introduces me to the famous Leanne, a girl he met at some Halloween masquerade party a few years ago in college. I remember a frantic telephone call from Seth on the morning of November 1st, asking me how he could find his mystery girl that kissed him out of the blue. I was barely waking up but he went on to describe his mystery girl's sexy vampire costume with a blood red mask covering most of her face. I couldn't help but laugh a bit when I told him that he can probably trace her on Facebook since she's most likely tagged in one of the party photos. Seth breathed a quick thanks to me and then I heard the line go silent. A few minutes later while I was munching on some cereal, he sent me a text saying he sent a friend request to Leanne, his sexy vamp girl, and the rest is happily-ever-after history. They all say Forks hasn't changed much, but looking at all the faces surrounding me, I know that's not true.

When the late afternoon rolls around, we take down the canopies. We move the overstuffed pillows and Adirondack chairs around a fire pit made from driftwood some of the boys collected earlier in the day. Everyone is slowly find a spot around the fire pit, hoodies or jackets on, blankets or beach towels covering legs from the cold.

"Bet you it's been a while since you've seen a driftwood fire huh?" Edward asks, and winks at me, throwing in a match into the fire pit. We watch together as the flames turn different shades of blue and green. The bright blue flames remind of something I've seen recently back in California.  
"You know, sometimes in California we get bioluminescent waves," I say to him.  
"What are you talking about Swan?" Jacob asks as he hands over a beer to me and then to Edward.  
"Sometimes, the red algae that bloom in the ocean float up to the top of the ocean's surface in California," I say, waving to Ben who has just arrived to the party after his shift at the Forks library. Ben waves back and then sits down next to Angela. They give each other a reuniting kiss, and then she digs into one of the coolers and starts to make a plate for her husband. I glance around the fire pit and notice practically everyone is coupled up. They are all really lucky to have found their special someone that they want to spend the rest of their days with. I am taken out of my thoughts by Edward clearing his throat.  
"Oh right, I remember reading about that happening when I was doing research about California. The red algae is commonly referred to as a "red tide' right?" Edward asks and I see Jacob's eyes get big.  
"Stop Jake. I already know what 12-year-old boy joke you're gonna say about the tide being so red." Jacob rolls his eyes but I continue telling them about the red algae,"Yes, it is the 'red tide'. During the day, it's nothing but an annoyance to surfers but it's harmless. But at night, when the algae are exposed to the moonlight, there is chemical reaction on the cellular level. At night, the red algae glows neon blue. So, as a result, the waves turn into these amazing neon blue bioluminescent waves."  
"I bet it is pretty amazing. I'd love to see those bioluminescent waves one day soon," Edward says as he runs his hands through his hair.  
"Yeah, I'm sure it'll be really soon Edward," Jacob snorts out, finishes his beer, and then pops open another one.  
"Oh, yeah, I'd take you for sure if you're ever in California again in the summer visiting Carlisle and Esme. The bioluminescent waves happen more down in San Diego anyway," I nonchalantly say as I pick at a corner of my beer label.  
Jacob scrunches his face up at Edward. Edward takes a drag from his beer bottle and gulps loudly. When Edward turns back to Jacob, he shakes his head really quickly at Jacob. Jacob slaps his right knee and laughs out loud at an obvious inside joke between him and Edward.  
"Yeah, I have a feeling Edward will be spending a lot of time in California soon Bells," Jacob says as he doubles over in laughter in his seat. Edward shoots him a death stare. But before I can ask why they are both being so cryptic with me, Paul stands up from his chair, getting everyone's attention.  
"Hey, I got a game we all could play," Paul slurs, as he twirls his beer bottle in his hand. I turn to Edward and roll my eyes. He just gives me an impish grin back and pulls my seat closer to him. Paul looks around the fire pit circle and announces to the group, "You all wanna play Truth or Dare? Sam, Leah…I know you two love this game."

Across the fire pit from me, I see Jacob stiffen in his seat, and then before I can fully register what is happening, I see Jacob throw his beer bottle at Paul. I hear glass shattering, followed by a lot of screaming and cursing. I don't actually see how the beer bottle breaks or whom the cries and cursing are coming from because I somehow get flipped over in my chair and I land on the sand, with a body pinning me down. My face is pressed up to a very familiar, warm, and hard male chest. I can feel Edward's heart beating rapidly against my chest. He is breathing hard against my neck, and then he lifts his head and then takes my face into his hands, "I'm sorry Bella for pushing you. Are you okay?" I can only manage to nod my head in assurance up at him.

"Let me go!" Jacob yells. We both turn to our right and we see Jacob being restrained by Sam, Quill, and Seth. Paul has blood streaking down his forehead and left cheek but he's being restrained by Jared, Embry, and Ben. All the girls are surrounding Leah, trying to comfort her.

Edward and I get up from the ground and I start to walk over to the boys but Edward pulls me back. "You're crazy if you think I'm gonna let you walk into that mess Bella."

"But it's Jacob..." I start to say as tears start to come to my eyes. We hear a big shuffle and see Jacob break away from the pack, running towards the woods. I turn back to Edward and say, "You go after him Edward. I'll make sure someone drives Paul to the emergency room and that Leah is okay."

He hesitates for a second and I'm about to give him my best bitch face to tell him to go when we see Leah running past us in the direction of where Jacob is. She stops and takes a deep breath before shrieking at him, "Dammit Jacob! What the hell did you do that for?" Jacob turns around and faces Leah. "Paul's fucking bleeding. How do I expect you to be a good husband and father when you can't fucking grow up? When our baby is born…" Leah puts a hand up to her shocked face and then immediately caresses her belly.

The whole wedding party goes silent, just looking at an embarrassed Leah and a heartbroken Jacob. "Great Leah, at least you saved us money on baby announcements," Jacob spits out through gritted teeth, and runs away from Leah.


	5. Chapter 5

Note: Twilight and its characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. This story is mine.  
This chapter is a little longer than my other chapters have been in the past. It's also the reason why it took me a little longer to get this chapter out to you all, so I'm sorry. I did a lot of editing and when I thought I was finished, inspiration would strike again. So, it was this cycle of writing, editing, writing, editing. But thanks again for your patience and for reading. Hope you enjoy.

Slow Jam, Slow Jelly

Chapter 5 – I'm not that kind of girl, your love is what I prefer

I kept hearing Edward shuffling around outside my bedroom door for the past 20 minutes. He was nervous for some reason about me going to Leah's bachelorette party today but I didn't see why though. It wasn't going to be a typical bachelorette party with alcohol and male strippers, gyrating their crotch where they shouldn't be. There wasn't any need for Edward to come rescue me after getting sloppy drink. The invite said it would be afternoon tea with the ladies, which included Leah and Jacob's grandmother. Afternoon tea, that was a dead give-away that she was knocked up. Most brides don't consume tea at their bachelorette party.

After the second time Edward decided to go to the bathroom in the span of 7 minutes, I called out to him, "Hey Edward! I'm almost ready to leave. You can come in and hang out with me if you'd like." I look back at myself in the mirror, and start to fluff out my hair, running my fingers through my mahogany curls. I straighten out the skirt of my orange and white striped dress, making sure the belted white satin bow around my waist is secure. I hear a light knock on the door, and then the door hinges creak slightly. Edward peers his head in, takes a long look at me, and smiles, "Wow...you look really beautiful Bella."

I return the smile and say, "Thanks...I'm just gonna put some make-up on and then we can head out."

Edward leaps onto my bed, puts his hands behind his head, propping himself on my pillows, and looks up at me. I make my way over to him and crawl on top of the bed with my make-up bag. I sit down at the foot of the bed, right by his feet, and tuck my left leg underneath my right thigh.

"So, Leah is pregnant," I say to Edward as I apply some lipstick. Edward mumbles something to himself. I can't really understand what he is saying but at the tail end, I faintly hear him saying something about lips. He clears his throat and then focuses his attention back to the conversation.

"Yup," Edward says. "Good for them though. It's not like it wasn't gonna happen for them anyway."

"Yeah...I don't know though. I always thought newlyweds would want to enjoy their first year of marriage together as newlyweds," I stop applying blush on my cheeks and look at him. "I'm obviously projecting my feelings onto the situation. But don't they always say the first year of marriage is the hardest. They also say the first year of being a new parent is the toughest. I just feel like it's too much for me to process the news of it happening and it's not even happening to me."

Edward looks thoughtfully at me for a bit. "Yes, it's a scary thing I'm sure for the both of them. But they have each other to help them get through the good times and the bad times. Whatever these changes are bound to bring for the both of them, they'll always have each other." He starts to cross and then uncrosses his feet, trying to find the perfect relaxed position. "You know, honestly, did you get the impression that the pregnancy was a total surprise for the both of them?"

I clean off excess mascara off the wand with a tissue and I nod my head timidly in agreement. I start the process of curling my eyelashes and then defining them with mascara.

"You got quiet. When you get quiet, I know you're obsessing over something. Talk to me," Edward softly demands, taking his sock covered toe and poking my upper thigh.

I start to zip up my make-up bag and then let out a small breath. "Well, I...I...wh-uh...," I start to yammer and then I continue, "Why did Jacob freak out so much on Paul after he made that comment about Sam and Leah loving the game Truth or Dare? Did something happen between Sam and Leah? Do you think something happened? No, that's impossible. How long has she been pregnant? I can't believe nobody told me. I understand we're all busy. But I'm shocked that Jacob didn't tell me. I feel a little hurt by it all," I say out loud in what feels like one breath.

Edward just keeps smiling at me, and his smirk towards me lasts longer than I am comfortable with because I don't know what he is thinking. My forehead starts to crease with worry and I'm about to get mad at him but then he speaks up.  
"I don't know Bella. Most of those questions I can't even answer for you. But what I do know is Jacob and Leah are fine. They are just like any other couple. They bicker and fight. But they love each other really hard and really crazy. And that love they share, overrides anything that annoys or tries to break them down as people and as a couple. It's for better or for worse."

"You are such the hopeless romantic," I say, getting up and getting my shoes out of my suitcase. I look over my shoulder and ask, "How are you single?" I get up from crouching down into my suitcase, shoes in hand, and start walking back towards him, towards the bed. He just keeps staring at me. Now it's Edward's turn to get really quiet apparently. I'm about to turn around and sit down on the edge of the bed but then he stands up and stops me from doing so.

"Here, I can do that for you," he says, taking my shoes away from me.

"That's okay, you don't have to," I say, reaching for my shoes again.

"I know I don't have to. I want to," he says, putting my shoes down at his feet. He turns me around slowly so I'm not facing the bed anymore. He puts his hands on my shoulders and edges me closer to the bed. The back of my knees hit the side of the bed and I lose my balance. Edward reaches out, grabs me by the waist to correct my standing, and then gently pushes pressure on my hips so I can sit on top of the bed. "Just relax Bella, let me take care of you please." I roll my eyes at him but nod my head with my consent to have him help me. He chuckles to himself and then kneels before me, reaching back to grab my shoes that are behind him on the floor. He takes my left foot and raises it, caressing it before he puts my left heel on.

"These are some pretty fancy blue shoes Bella," he comments, grabbing my left ankle, bending my knee at a 45 degree angle, and then raising it almost to his shoulder. The act seems innocent enough since raising my foot that high gets it more to his eye level for better inspection. But then I become aware that I'm in a dress and I'm probably flashing him my goodies right now. So, I immediately try to rearrange my skirt so that I can attempt to cover myself up. But I realize it's too late, because he smiles his sloppy side smile, and comments, "Black lace Bella? Good choice." I roll my eyes at him and he puts my left foot back down onto the floor, the heel of my shoe making an echoing thud throughout the room.

"They are blue suede shoes actually Edward," I nervously grin back at him. Edward just nods his head up and down for a few beats; his cocky smile is still plastered all over his face. He then takes my right foot, lightly massages the bottom of it, before slipping my right foot into the shoe.

"Is that your favorite Elvis song?" he asks, as he starts to get up from the floor.

"Nah, I've always been a fan of _Are You Lonesome Tonight_. What's your favorite Elvis song?" I ask. He is now standing in front of me, extending his right hand out to help me up from the bed. I take his hand and he helps lift me up. I get up a little too quickly for my liking, so I lose my balance, falling into Edward's chest, almost knocking Edward and me down onto the floor. But Edward is strong and doesn't let either of us fall. His left hand has a tight grip of my right hand. Edward isn't letting me go. He gently shakes my hand that he is holding as if to silently ask through that action if I'm okay. I nod my head up at him and he smiles down at me. He lets me find my own proper footing in my heels and lets me lean on him until I can right my standing in the world again. I straighten out the skirt of my dress and start to bring my hands up to brush hair off of my face after my little stumble. But Edward's hands are quicker and he tenderly sweeps away my hair away from my cheeks. Edward looks right into my eyes and says, "_I can't help falling in love with you_."

…

"I feel like we're going to Prom again Bella," Edward says, as he starts up the car so he can drop me off at the bachelorette party. I think back on how we did use Carlisle's vintage Mercedes as our Prom chariot that night. It was a big deal for Edward back then being trusted with Carlisle's car. But apparently Edward had been pestering Carlisle for months to ask him to use it, even before he asked me, claiming he only wanted the best for his prom date. He shrugged it off and explained he wanted to make sure he had a reliable means of prom transportation for us. "You're all dressed up and looking really pretty today. Did I tell you look really beautiful today?"

I smile shyly, looking straight ahead as Edward gets on the road, "I think you just did Edward." I couldn't help but also think he called me beautiful earlier, up in my childhood room.

"Well, you do. You always get more beautiful with each passing year that I know you," Edward says, fiddling with the radio knobs.

"Thanks," I shyly say back, fiddling with the clasp on my clutch.

Edward chuckles to himself, "And even after all these years, you still don't know how to take a compliment." He puts his hand right on top of my nervous hand that is playing with my clutch. He leaves it there for a few seconds, letting the warmth of his hand comfort me. I immediately relax and then he speaks up again, "You know before I went to bed last night, I was thinking how lucky I was that I got to grow up next door to you all my life."

"Yeah, you are pretty lucky bucko," I say, flicking his hand off of me.

"Ahhh, there's my Bella, she's back," he chuckles and then accelerates faster down the road.

…

The bachelorette party is taking place at the Miller Tree Inn, which also happens to be where the wedding ceremony and reception is going to happen on Saturday. After a promise that I would call or text Edward when I was ready to leave the party, I make my way up to the front porch steps of the Inn. As I open the door, I mentally add another tally mark to the running total of Bachelorette parties I've attended in my life. There are a lot of tally marks.

I arrive a little late to the party and discover I'm the last guest to arrive. Leah immediately sees me and walks over to me, giving me a hug. "Well, well, well, you definitely are fashionably late Miss Bella," she says, and makes me turn around so she can see my whole outfit.

I give her a shy smile, "I'm sorry. Guess Edward and I lost track of the time when we were talking while I was getting ready."

"Talking? Is that what you and Edward call it?" she says, giving me a shit-eating grin as we walk further into the parlor of the Inn where the rest of the party is. I am about to question what she is referring to but I stop once I'm fully inside the parlor room. In the middle of the room, there is a long rectangular table covered in dark brown satin. There are various green glass vases in different sizes and heights, filled with white peonies, freesia, and daisies, running down the middle of the table. And sprinkled randomly throughout the stacked platters of food, there are little tea lights. The flames of the candles are reflecting off the white china and glass goblets, making the room feel like little twinkling stars are floating around the party amongst us.

"It's all Emily's vision," Leah says, taking me out of my thoughts. "I just gave her the theme and what foods I favored. She already knew my wedding colors. So, this is what she came up with. Pretty amazing huh? She even had the staff freeze strawberries inside the ice cubes for the lemonade. She spent a lot of time planning this party. I almost cried when I saw her reveal it to me." I smile at her and I'm glad that this beautiful party is in her honor. Leah definitely deserves all of this and quite possibly even more. "Of course, it might have been the hormones acting up at the time. But we'll keep that between me and you okay Bella?"

I laugh along with her and then she leads me to the gift table where I set my gift down for her.

"There's my Bella," Jacob's grandmother happily announces from her seat. I bend down to give her a hug. "I saved a seat for you right by me my child."  
Leah brushes my shoulder lightly and gives me a sad smile before returning to her chair at the other end of the table. I take my seat and give a small wave to everyone seated at the table who are already enjoying their tea and hors d'oeuvres. As soon as I sit down, a waiter comes up to my left side and pours some tea in my cup. I turn to the waiter to thank him and then I realize, it's Mike Newton from high school.

"Hi Bella. You're looking lovely as ever," he says, still blonde-haired, blue-eyes staring back at me and uncomfortably too close to my face for my comfort.

"Thank you Mike. What a surprise to see you here," I say, adding in some honey and lemon to my tea.

"I just got this second job. Jessica and I are expecting our first baby in a few months," he says proudly.

"Jessica?...Wait, Jessica Stanley? I really have been gone from Forks for far too long," I say, grimacing a bit at the memory of how catty Jessica was with me when Edward took me to Senior Prom instead of her. Mike noticed my unease so I quickly added, "Well, congratulations to the both of you. I didn't even know you two were married."

It is now Mike's turn to fidget a bit and then mumble in a whisper to me, "We're not married yet. I, uh, also took this second job so I can get her an engagement ring."

I give him a smile back and nod my head at him. _Great Bella, just keep cramming your foot into your mouth even more_. Thankfully Mike speaks up so I don't have to, "Well, it was great seeing you. I'll see you at the wedding this Saturday since I'll be a waiter for it too." I just simply nod my head back at him, not trusting my own words at the moment.

I turn towards Jacob's grandmother. "So how are you Grandma Black?" I ask, stirring my tea before taking a sip.

"I'm doing well. A little arthritis here and there, but for the most part I'm healthy," she answers. She turns her head to the left and then to the right before saying softly to me, "I always knew that little hussy Jessica would have a baby born out of wedlock." I almost choke on the cucumber sandwich I am nibbling on. I take another sip of my tea before I respond.

"Well, I'm sure they love each other very much. And they are both grown adults. I'm sure they will be great, responsible parents," I say, fiddling with the linen napkin in my lap.

"Well in my day, a lady didn't give up certain things without a ring," she says. "Like Beyonce sang, 'if you like it then you should have put a ring on it.'"

I giggle a bit and then say, "I didn't realize you were so hip with the top 40 jams Grandma Black."

"Well, I try," she says smugly, and then takes her tea cup and raises it to me. I raise my teacup towards hers, and then she says, "To you, my radiant Bella, hoping somebody finally puts a ring on you. You aren't getting any younger sweetie." I couldn't do anything but smile uncomfortably and clink my teacup with hers in cheers for her toast dedicated to me.

After catching up with Grandma Black for a few minutes, a brand new tray of cookies is replaced by Mike, and I instantly grab a few chocolate chip cookies and put them on my plate. Grandma Black takes a ginger snap cookie and dips it into her tea. "You know Bella, I always thought you and Jacob would be the ones getting married. He always did have quite the crush on you growing up," Jacob's grandmother confesses. The conversations around the table taper off and quiet down a bit. I swear I also see all ears in the room perk up to hear what my reaction will be.

I laugh a little bit too loudly than I was expecting to and then say, "If I was smart, I would have developed a crush on Jacob and maybe I would be the very lucky Leah right now," I say back to Grandma Black.

"Well, yes, Leah is very fortunate," Grandma Black says in a somewhat dismissive tone. Suddenly, I see a few heads at the table turn in the direction of Grandma Black and me. Grandma Black takes another ginger snap cookie and dips it into her tea before saying, "But honey, you need to get married. You don't want to die alone."

I stare at my plate of cookies for a bit, trying my hardest to fight off that numb feeling her words have given me. _You don't want to die alone. Are you going to die alone Bella? Yes, you're going to die alone Bella. All alone._ I shake my head at how melodramatic those thoughts are. I raise my head up and look right into Grandma Black's eyes, "I'm sorry Grandma Black. I know your heart is in the right place and you're only concerned about me, I know that." I pause for a second, take a breath in and exhale with, "But maybe I'm meant for a solitary life." I suddenly hear the sound of chairs being moved across the wooden floor and I look up to see both Jacob and Leah's mother standing up. They both decided to be my saviors from this awkward conversation by announcing it is time for Leah to open her bachelorette gifts.

…

While Emily was in charge of the party planning, Rachel was the one in charge of assigning a gift theme for the party guests. She had e-mailed all the guests about a month ago giving us our gift giving assignment. The bridesmaids were given the task of gifting Leah 'something new'. Grandma Black and Grandma Clearwater were taking care of 'something old' to give to Leah, while Mrs. Black and Mrs. Clearwater were giving her 'something borrowed'. I was given the gift duty of giving her 'something blue'.

Leah thanked her bridal party for all her 'something new' lingerie, a Kama Sutra book, and various other honeymoon accessories all bundled up in a discreet black box the size of a shoe box. The bridesmaids said they chose that size box so she could put it in her suitcase easily. Everyone laughed and blushed at all the edible massage oils, chocolate body paint, and even a candy thong that was inside the box. The bridesmaids were pretty much making Jacob's dreams come true for giving Leah gifts that combined food and sex.

Grandma Black gave Leah two pennies, one old and one new. The old penny was from 1947, the very same penny she put in her shoe when she got married to Grandpa Black that year. The second penny was from this year, bright and shiny, and meant for her to put in her other shoe on her wedding day. The guests shed a few tears when Grandma Black made Leah promise that she'd pass both pennies along to her future daughter on her wedding day.

Grandma Clearwater gave her an old watch that wasn't working anymore, the leather soft and cracked from use. Apparently, this was the watch that Grandpa Clearwater gave to her before their wedding ceremony. Grandma Clearwater said with some bittersweet sadness in her voice, "The watch came with a note from your Grandfather saying, 'I don't need this anymore. You're what I measure my time with now.'" More tears flowed down from the guests and tissues were being passed around. Leah said she'd wrap the watch around the stems of her wedding bouquet.

When it was Jacob's mother's turn to present her gift to Leah, she managed to bring some lightheartedness to the room. Leah opened up the box and found a cake cutting set that Jacob's parents had used at their wedding reception. Jacob's mother drapes her arm around Leah, winks at her, and says, "My son knows his way around a knife. So let him do the work when cake cutting time rolls around, okay?...my dear future daughter." Leah, with watery eyes, nodded her head up and down at the second mother she would be getting in a few days.

Leah's mother pulled her chair closer to her daughter and placed a small box on Leah's lap. Leah, with shaking hands, reached for the bow of the box twice. She smoothed her fingertips over the smooth bow and then slowly started to unravel it. She opened up the lid of the box and peeled back some delicate white tissue paper back. When Leah finally saw the first sight of what was inside the box, she let out a little gasp, covering her mouth, and looked at her mother with shocked eyes. Leah's mother immediately patted and smoothed her daughter's dark, black hair down and gently pried her daughter's hands away from her face. "Now, just remember, this is on loan until Sunday," Leah's mother says and winks at her.

She takes the box from Leah's lap and then gently removes what is inside of it. She fishes out a pearl bracelet that looks like there are a few pearls missing from it. Leah's mother clears her throat and says to the guests in the room, "On my wedding, Leah's father gave me one pearl threaded in this bracelet I am holding right now." Leah's mother takes her left hand and pets it softly, "He told me that each time we hit a major milestone in our married life, he'd add another pearl to the strand."

She takes Leah's left wrist, wraps the pearl bracelet around her wrist, and clasps it on to her. "So, on your wedding day, I want you to be able to look at this bracelet and think of all the great moments your father and I have shared together through the years. Our first house together, our first car together, the day you were born," she says, trying to hold it together and not shed anymore tears. "And all those moments are what I want you to carry on your wrist on your wedding day. I wish all those marriage milestones your father and I shared will be what you and Jacob share with one another. Married life isn't always easy but you have a good man that will be right by your side through it all. Pearls or diamonds don't matter because a good man is the best treasure you'll ever have."

I clear my throat and then give a soft smile to Leah and her mother. Leah's mother gets up from her chair and motions for me to take her seat. I mouth out  
thank you to Leah's mother and I hand Leah a small, blue jeweled, wooden box. "This is your something blue," I say to Leah as she lifts the lid off the box. She smiles at me and then giggles, twirling the blue garter around her index finger like it's a helicopter propeller blade. I laugh along with her and then explain to her, "I actually had some help with your gift Leah. Jacob helped me. I had him hunt down the shirt he wore on your first date." Leah's eyes get wide, stops winding the garter around, and fingers the material of the garter more.

"Jacob did wear blue that night. I can't believe he still had the shirt," Leah said, shocked.

"Yup, apparently he never wore it again. He said it smelled too much like you after your date, so he just folded it up and kept it in a box of high school memories in his closet," I answer.

Leah's eyes begin to water again and she gets up to hug me. I hug her back and then she whispers in my ear, "I can't wait to return the sentiment of your gift to me, back to you one day Bella.

…

Soon after the presents are opened, the party winds down and the guests start to slowly trickle out. I purposely text Edward to pick me up when I am officially the last guest to say goodbye to Leah.

Leah and I both walk out onto the Inn's porch and take a seat together on the bench, waiting for Edward's arrival.

"So, did you have a great time today?" I ask.

Leah nods her head and then yawns. "Yes, but I need a nap. I'm finding I'm like a child again these days. I need one nap during the day or else I'm not happy," Leah says, fingering the pearl bracelet her mother let her borrow.

"Hey, I, um, never got to congratulate you and Jacob on your pregnancy," I say cautiously. I steal a glance at her face briefly to see her reaction. She has a stone cold poker face on.

After about 30 seconds, she turns towards me, gives me a small smile, and says, "Thanks Bella."

I am relieved that her reaction to my congratulations is a positive one. So, I wait with her in more shared silence on the Inn's porch before asking, "Do you mind if I ask you some questions?", biting my lip and as I play with the hem of my skirt.

Leah quietly says, "No, I don't mind. But then again, I guess I don't have a choice though." Suddenly, she gets up and stands against the porch railing, and looks right at me. "So, what do you want to know?"

Leah Clearwater, if there was one thing about Leah that anybody should know, she never was one to be afraid of being confronted. I look back at her directly and even though I'm the one who is going to be asking the questions, I feel like Leah is the one interrogating me with the determined look on her face of strength.

I clear my throat a little and then ask, "How far along are you?"

Leah puts a palm on her flat belly and says, "About 3 months." Both of our stares go to her stomach and then we both look up at each other. We both smirk at the same time. "I know I'm not showing yet but I'm sure in a couple of weeks I will be. I eat all the time, I mean, you saw me at the party yesterday. I was a little oinker." I did notice her appetite was rivaling Jacob's, even on the road trip back home we all had. After she ate her almonds in the car (the ones that weren't picked off the floor by Jacob and Edward), she helped herself to some Hostess cupcakes, a bag of Gardetto's snack mix, and she washed it all down with a Coke slurpee. At the party last night, she was always buzzing around the food table, nibbling on something. Leah starts to caress her stomach slowly, and then says, "But then I get sick. Did you know I've actually lost weight since I've been pregnant?"

"Sometimes women do lose weight in their first trimester because of all the throwing up they do," I offer into the conversation.

"Yeah, that's what my doctor says too," she says, before chuckling darkly to herself, and then adds, "How do you know that?"

I shrug my shoulders up a little and give her a small grin, "I've known a lot of pregnant women. They tell me everything." I've heard all about their pregnant lady complaints so much that I feel I've been pregnant right along with them. But luckily, I've only been able to sympathize. At the end of the day, I can get a comfortable night's sleep because the baby's foot isn't right up against my rib cage for the past 8 hours. I've never had swollen ankles balloon up so much that I can only bare to wear house slippers everywhere. Being pregnant is no joke.

"So, how are you feeling about being pregnant?" I ask, feeling more comfortable that she's being open in this conversation that potentially could have been disastrous.

"I'm still shocked honestly," she says, not really looking at me but actually over my head. "It did come as a surprise for both Jacob and I," she adds, making her way back to the bench to sit next to me. "We found out when he got back from his LA trip to see you earlier this summer." She sits down and then continues with, "We decided to keep it between us and then make the announcement after the wedding. But, of course, my big mouth ruined that for the both of us last night."

"So, not even your families know? It was just whoever was at party last night?" I ask.

"Yes," she says timidly. I'm sure she's thinking about how the party ended last night.

"So, um, how's Jacob? Have you seen him? He hasn't been returning any of my calls or text messages," I say, figuring the subject of Jacob is safe for us to discuss.

"He's fine. He stopped by the Inn before the party started just to see me and to talk," she says a little sadly. "He's got a few bruises and cuts on his knuckles, but he's fine. He says Paul got a few stitches on his forehead but he's fine too."

Paul. The mention of his name and the air around us gets tense once again.

"Well, that's good to hear that they are fine," I comment, trying to alleviate the tension growing again between Leah and I.

Leah barks out a laugh really loudly. "Oh come on Swan, I know what you're gonna ask. It's out in the open between us right now. I thought that dropping his name first would make it easier on you."

Leave it to Leah to not pussy-foot around the elephant in the room. I close my eyes and with a slightly annoyed tone in my voice I say, "Fine Leah. What the heck happened last night? Why did Jacob flip out like that on Paul?" I say, turning my whole body towards her. She mimics my action and faces me head on.

"Look Bella, I love Jacob and Jacob loves me. What happened last night, well, I guess was something that was bound to come out," she says and I see tears start to form in her eyes. "But Jacob and I were trying our hardest to keep it a secret."

I immediately feel guilty for upsetting her and making her cry. I'm sure there is a special place in hell reserved for me for making a life-long friend who is pregnant, cry. "I'm sorry Leah for upsetting you. If you don't want to tell me anything, you don't have to."

Leah shakes her head vehemently. "No, no...I made it everyone's business last night, so I need to get used to people's questions," she says, wiping tears away from her cheeks. "Look Bella, I hope whatever I'm about to say to you right now doesn't effect how you look at me or at Jacob, especially Jacob."

Leah lets out a huge breath and says, "Something did happen between Sam and I." My forehead creases with confusion and I am about to ask her to elaborate when she speaks up again, "But it was before Emily, and she knows what happened. The only reason Paul knows is because he saw it happen."

Suddenly my phone rings and I look at the screen and see Edward's name lighting it up. _Dammit Edward, sometimes you have the worst timing_. "I'm sorry Leah, do you mind if I answer this phone call? It's Edward, he kinda freaks out if I don't answer right away."

Suddenly Leah's stressed face breaks out into a smile, "Go ahead. Don't keep Edward waiting too long."

I say my thanks to her and then scurry away a few feet from Leah to answer Edward's call. "He-he-hello?" I answer, still shocked from what Leah has revealed to me. Adding in the loud ring of my phone coming in at a crucial point in the conversation I was having with Leah, my nerves are a bit on edge.

"Bella, you okay?" Edward asks with worry.

"Yes, I'm fine. I was just talking to Leah about, um, things," I say to him, as I look over my shoulder at Leah who seems to be oblivious to the conversation I'm having with Edward.

"Oh. Okay. Well, I just wanted to let you know I'll be there in 5 minutes," Edward says, traces of worry evident in his voice still.

"Okay, thanks for letting me know. I'll see you soon. You drive safely okay?"

"I will," I hear him say and then I swear I hear him rev the car's engine even more as he hangs up.

I look back at Leah and realize something as soon as my phone conversation with Edward ends. "Wait, so, how are you getting home Leah? Everyone else from the party is gone. Is Jacob coming by?" I ask, making my way over back to her.

"Oh, I guess I forgot to tell you. After we dropped you and Edward off on Sunday, Jacob decided it would be romantic to not sleep in the same bed the week of the wedding. So I've been staying here at the Inn since we arrived in Forks while he's at his parent's house," Leah says and then rolls her eyes. "Honestly, I think he just said that because he needs his space. I haven't been the nicest person to him lately."

I can't really comment on their relationship but I give her a smile, hoping she sees I'm trying to remain a loyal friend to both of them. I also figured as much as I want to press her for more details about what really happened between Sam and her, unfortunately, the moment has passed. In time, when she's ready, I know she'll tell me what happened. For now, I didn't want to upset or stress Leah out even more. Being pregnant and getting married in a few days was enough stress on one person. I turn to her and say, "Hey, so Edward will be here soon. But before I leave, I just wanted to apologize about the weird conversation Grandma Black had with me earlier."

Leah smiles back at me but the grin doesn't fully reach her eyes. "It's okay Bella, it's not your fault. Grandma Black has never really approved of me. I was a little too rough around the edges for her," Leah says. She starts to gather a few strands of her, pretending to look for split ends and bored with our conversation. "You know, Bella, you had to realize how jealous and insecure I was because of what you and Jacob have. Sometimes I feel that way still. I can't ever compare to you, even Grandma Black saw that," she says, still pretending to look for damaged ends to her silky black hair, still pretending this conversation isn't holding her interest.

I look at Leah in annoyance and roll my eyes. "Leah, do you remember when you went with me to that Fall festival in Port Angeles during our senior year in high school?" Leah nods her head at me. "And do you remember I drove us to Port Angeles for that festival? It was supposed to be a relaxing girl's day for us. Just me and you." Then I see the exact moment when she realizes where exactly I'm going with this walk down memory lane with her.

"Until Jacob showed up," Leah mutters, almost in a daze.

"Yeah, until Jacob showed up," I say a little too bitterly than I wanted to but then I quickly add, "I didn't really care though. We were all friends, the more the merrier," _even if I was the unintended third wheel that day_. Leah is still staring straight ahead, out towards the Inn's front garden, not looking me in the eye. "Well, I guess at that point you and Jacob were becoming more friendly with one another. A few of us saw the gradual pulling away you two did from our group of friends for months. But for me, that day in Port Angeles, was when I got my confirmation."

Leah's head turns slowly towards me and then with expectant eyes says, "You saw us didn't you?"

I nod my head yes to Leah. I thought they had followed me into an artist's booth. I was there for a good 5 minutes before I realized I was on my own. So, naturally I went looking for my friends. I found them really easily though. They were behind the artist's booth tent, making out and really grinding against each other's bodies. As soon as I saw Leah's hand go in between them, I sped away as far away as possible. I really didn't need to see Jacob and Leah dry humping each other in broad daylight.

"Well, you two eventually found me, sitting under a tree by myself. I suggested we walk further into town to grab something to eat. But then Jacob, not being very subtle by the way, whispered something in your ear. I had to pretend I suddenly got interested in the grass underneath my shoes," I say, and I could see Leah blushing.

"I told Jacob that you somehow saw us. You were acting strange," Leah says.

"Can you blame me? I didn't need to hear Jacob's moaning," I say, disgusted by the memory, but Leah starts cracking up right beside me.

"I'm su-ssu-sorry Bella. I'm not laughing at you, I really am not," Leah manages to say in between her giggles.

"Right, well, whatever," I say, still annoyed and traumatized with the memory. "Well, anyway, whatever he said to you, you were quick to want to leave the festival." I shuddered at the thought and then quickly added, "No! I don't need to know Leah." It made sense for Jacob to take Leah home since they lived closer to one another. But I still couldn't help but feel hurt and abandoned. "Well, I watched Jacob whisk you away on his motorbike and that was the moment I knew I was finally demoted in importance in Jacob's life. I was finally replaced. I knew it was going to happen one day," I shrug my shoulders and look at the wood grain patterns on the porch. "But it doesn't mean being prepared for that moment didn't make me feel like a loser and a reject when it finally happened."

Suddenly, we hear a car approaching the drive-way and we both look up to see Edward rolling up. He gets out of the car and I can't help but whimper a bit to myself when I see him stroll out casually in a white v-neck t-shirt, faded black jeans, and some holey chucks on his feet. I always loved that in just an old ratty shirt and jeans, Edward always looked like he was wearing a 3-piece-suit.

He waves over at us and smiles, and I let out another whimper, when I see his shirt rise up a bit. A little sliver of his toned stomach, his happy trail, and the waistband of his striped boxers peek out.

Leah and I start to get up and walk towards Edward. All three of us meet at the bottom of the porch steps. Edward immediately reaches for me and gives me a hug.  
"Jesus Christ Edward, you swear you haven't seen here in years," Leah exclaims. "Where the fuck is my hug?"

Edward still doesn't let me go. He actually exaggerates how bothered he is with Leah by huffing and puffing really loudly. He lamely extends his left arm out and gives Leah a weak one-armed hug.

Leah takes that opportunity to pinch Edward's left nipple. He yelps and is forced release his embrace on me. He starts to rub his nipple and then sticks his tongue out at Leah. Leah and I just laugh at Edward.

"Alright, Edward, it's been real. But I'm gonna lay down for a bit, pregnant lady and all," Leah says.

"You need help with anything? Do you need anything?" Edward asks. I can't help but love Edward even more in that moment, being attentive to Leah in her delicate condition right now. He's going to be an amazing husband and father one day.

"Could I pinch your right nipple?" Leah says, trying to reach for it.

Edward jumps back just before Leah can get to him. "Sorry Leah, that is one pregnant lady request that will go unfulfilled."

"Ugh, fine, whatever, you're already boring me Edwardian loser. I'll see you two later," Leah says. Leah gives me a hug and thanks me again for coming to her bachelorette party, and then she makes her way up to the Inn's porch. When she reaches the porch, she turns around and then says, "You two take care of Jacob at his Bachelor party tomorrow okay?"  
"We will!" we both yell out at the same time. We give Leah one last wave good-bye and turn towards the car.  
"If you say jinx, I don't have any problem walking home Edward," I say.  
"Fine, I won't," Edward says. "Besides, let's face it Bella, you not talking to me would be the hardest thing you would ever have to do."

I fish out my phone out of my clutch and start to pretend to call a cab company. "Who are you calling?" Edward asks.

"A cab," I say nonchalantly. Edward quickly grabs my phone out of my hands before I realize he's actually done it. He stuffs my phone into his pocket.

"Nope, that's not going to happen Bella. I'm driving you Miss Crazy," Edward says. I pretend I am really sad that he's taken my phone away from me. My pout works and then he is reaching back into his pocket and extends the phone back to me. I get closer to him, take the phone back, give him a smile, and then pinch his right nipple. Edward groans and then says, "One day I'm gonna pinch your nipples and -" We both freeze. Edward stammers and stutters out, "What I mean is, um, well, you know."

We both keep staring into each other's eyes for about 10 seconds and then laugh out loud with one another. He pulls me into his arms and I say softly in his ear, "I'm sorry." He keeps holding me close to him and then I feel his lips kiss the top of my head. It was very quick and brief kiss on the top of my head. But I feel the warmth of his kiss all the way down to my toes.

He loosens his hold on me, looks down at me, and Edward says, "You ready to go home now?" I nod my head yes at him, he puts his arm around me, and we both start walking to the car again. Edward walks me over to the passenger side of the car. Edward, ever the gentleman opens up the door for me. I settle into the seat and watch him make his way to the driver's side. I reach over to open his door for him and he smiles. It's been years since we've been able to return those gestures to one another.

"So, how was tea time?" Edward asks as we both get buckled in.  
"It was fine, lots of people. Lots of females talking, together, all at the same time. I'm not really used to that, it was a little overwhelming to be honest. I, uh, also had a very exhausting conversation with Grandma Black," I answer, fingering the beadwork on the front of my clutch.  
"You ready to talk about it?" Edward asks.  
"Umm…not right now," I say, adjusting the AC vents so the cold air is directly blowing right into my face. "I'm kinda hungry actually. They didn't have any real food at the party. Just cucumber sandwiches, cookies, scones, you know, small, delicate, finger foods," I say, glancing at Edward who is intently staring at me. I quickly turn my head away from him, suddenly self-conscious. I clear my throat and then say, "I'm starving. I want a burger and some ice cream. Can we go to Three Rivers please?"  
He gives me my favorite crooked, side smile and then says, "Your wish is my command Bella." He gives me a wink and then we are speeding down the road together.


	6. Chapter 6

Note: Twilight and its characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. This story is mine.  
Hope you all are enjoying the story…what is everyone thinking of the story so far? Positive or negative feelings? Any predictions for what's going to happen in the story? Where do you want it to go? Story reviews are welcome…thanks.  
Small note at the end of the chapter...for now, happy reading.

Slow Jam, Slow Jelly

Chapter 6 – I bless the day I found you

I wake up to the faint music of some perfect doo-wop harmonies coming from downstairs and the smell of bacon. I reach over to my cell phone and see that it is 7:05 am. Mom is heading into the bakery soon. I snuggle a bit into my pillow and blanket more, hoping to fall back asleep but the allure of a warm, homemade breakfast is just too hard to resist. So, I put on my robe and my fuzzy slippers and make my way downstairs.  
"Morning mom," I say, grabbing a glass and pouring some orange juice into it.  
"Morning sweetie," Renee says, adding another pancake onto an already pretty high stack next to the griddle. I grab a plate and look at what my mom has made for breakfast today. On the kitchen island's countertop there are pancakes, bacon, cheesy scrambled eggs with chives, and fruit salad with sliced almonds.

"I drizzled honey on the fruit, just the way you like it Bella," I smile shyly up at her and once again feel very grateful that my mom is great in the kitchen. I have lots of fond food memories of being in the kitchen with her. It also made me feel a lot more at ease taking care of and cooking for myself when I started living in California. If I ever got homesick, Renee was just a phone call away, ready to tell me a new recipe she was trying out. And of course, during my teen years, the boys always flocked to our house, ready to devour her culinary creations. I always found it funny that even though Edward lived right next door, Jacob was the first to arrive whenever I would tell them to come over for some Renee recipe taste testing.

When Jacob graduated from culinary school, he wrote my mom a very sweet card, thanking her for being his inspiration to become a chef. She cried buckets of tears and framed the card. The framed card is still on her dresser present day, alongside the framed pipe cleaner swans Edward and I made for her when we were 7 for my parent's anniversary. We even took our thumbprints, covered them with red marker, and while the red ink was still wet, we overlapped our little thumbs together to make a heart. My mother was always sentimental, saving everything we gave her.

My mother's culinary career didn't start out that way. It started out as a hobby for Renee when she wasn't teaching third graders at Forks Elementary. So, during summers off and the weekends, she was always in the kitchen, concocting and revising her baking recipes. She'd give her baking goodies to the neighbors and bring them to various PTA meetings or school fundraising. But then Coach Clapp's wife, who is the owner of the local coffee shop, started showing interest in selling some of her cookies. Soon after the demand became too much, so she opened up a bakery. And from there, Swan Sweets, branched out to a pretty successful business, especially after Oprah featured Swan Sweets as one of her Favorite Things one year. Mrs. Clapp was always a fan of Oprah. She sent her a fan package full of various items including Renee's Charlie Cop chocolate chip cookies. A few weeks later, a thank you letter, a request for more of the cookies to be sent to her office, permission to have the cookies featured on that year's Favorite Things episode, and suddenly my mom's small town business was getting some national televised attention. Some time has passed since that Oprah show that featured my mom's cookies. But Oprah's Chitown Cinnamon Buns topped with a warm pecan caramel topping is something the bakery churns out every day proudly in gratitude for Oprah giving a small town business some recognition.

My mother goes into the bakery every day with a smile. Anybody that walks into that bakery can feel, see, and savor how happy her little bakery makes her. It's even evident in the names of her dessert creations. A walk down the dessert display case in the bakery and there are Edward Éclairs, Jacob Jelly rolls, Leah Lemon Bars, Grandma Sue's S'mores pie, Billy Black's Berry Bread pudding. But her favorite thing to brag about is that out of her whole line of home-made jams and jellies, BlueBoysenberry Bella jam, is her best-seller both in the bakery and in online orders.

"So, are you seeing anybody special?" Renee asks, setting down her cup of coffee and breakfast next to me.  
"Nope," I say, and dive back into my breakfast, stuffing more food into my mouth to avoid this conversation with her. I knew this topic of conversation was going to happen now that I was back in her house. It was unavoidable.

Obviously not pleased with my answer, she pushes a little more, "Have you tried online dating? You gotta keep up with the times sweetheart."

"Yes...I did," I answer hesitantly. I didn't want to join one. I mostly did it just to shut people up and to show that I was trying. She is casually stirring her coffee, like she has all the time in the world, waiting for me to tell her more about my pathetic attempts at dating and nonexistent love life. I push my plate away, my appetite gone, and put my fork down; I look at my mother straight in the eye, and get serious with her.

"Do you know how gross most of those online dating sites are Mom? Most guys on there are the biggest horndogs, just trolling to find someone to sleep with." She bows her head down and is suddenly nervous, fiddling with the handle on her coffee mug. She is about to say something when I cut her off, "Mom, I faced the fact a long time ago that I will probably be alone forever. It's something I've been aware of for years now, like you said, I'm like Christmas cake. After the 25th of December, nobody wants it."

"Christmas cake?" a velvety soft voice comes into the kitchen. "August is barely going to end in a few days. Are you getting a head start on the holiday baking sugar rush Mrs. Swan?" And there he is, sexy bed head, old Forks high school PE shirt, and red sweat pants, barefoot.

"No, handsome," Renee says, grabbing his face and kissing him right in the middle of his forehead. Waxy red lip imprints are left right across his forehead but he isn't aware of them. Renee hands him a plate and he starts stacking up pancakes, bacon, and eggs on it. "My daughter here has a mind like a steel trap. She remembers everything I've said apparently."

Suddenly her phone rings and she quickly looks at the screen, "Alright kids, I'm heading to the bakery now. You all stop by if you'd like." Renee picks her purse off the counter and makes her way towards the back door before turning around to announce, "Your father is coming home around 1pm today. There is plenty of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans in the fridge for lunch." She skims through her phone, probably looking at her e-mails or schedule for the day. She turns for the door again and then whips back around to Edward and me. "Oh and I made some new trial chocolate bar recipes last night. Let me know what you think of the new flavors please," she hustles to the oven and comes out with a tray of various one inch chocolate squares. She walks towards Edward and I, and starts to point at the chocolates, "These are strawberry balsamic, lavender and sea salt, and gingerbread honey chili."

Edward immediately pops one of the lavender and sea salt squares into his mouth and moans. I immediately reach for one as well because if it can make  
Edward Cullen moan, I want it in my mouth too please. "Mmmm, this is good," I say, licking off the excess chocolate off my fingers. "But Mom, don't you think that some of these flavors might be a little too forward for Forks?"

"Oh honey, I bend the names sometimes with the ingredients I put into my sweet creations," she says with a wink. "Mrs. Fields I'm sure has her baking secrets as well." She bends down and gives me a kiss on my forehead, says goodbye to both Edward and me, and she is out of the door before we even realize it. I reach for a napkin to wipe off the lipstick stain I know she left on me as Edward starts to cut into his stack of pancakes.

"Did I get it all off?" I ask Edward, pointing to my forehead. He nods with his mouth full of pancakes, his lips greasy from the bacon and sticky from the maple syrup. "She got you too you know," I grab another napkin and scoot closer to him. "Here, just stay still please and try not to move and I'll wipe it off of you." His chewing starts to slow down as I inch closer to him. I cup his chin in one hand, start to wipe off the lipstick, and then the song on Renee's iPod shuffles to one of my favorite classic 50s songs.

I blessed the day I found you

I want to stay around you

Now and forever, let it be me

Don't take this heaven from one

If you must cling to someone

Now and forever, let it be me

"This is a great song," I say to Edward. He hums his approval, eyes closed and just content with me taking care of wiping off Renee's lipstick off of him. I smile to myself and feel my insides tingle and warm a bit with the thought that,  
_Yes, I like taking care of Edward._ Before I know it, his forehead is no longer lipstick stained and I pinch his nose. He opens his eyes and I say to him, "You're all clear."

"Thanks Bella," he says, smiling shyly at me and offering me a piece of bacon from his plate. I take it from him and start nibbling on it. "Did you know my Dad is a big Everly Brothers fan?" I shake my head at him and start to drag back my breakfast plate back. "I have lots of memories of walking into the kitchen and seeing my Mom and Dad slow dancing to this song on Sunday mornings," Edward says. We sit there together for a few beats as the song keeps playing between us.

So never leave me lonely  
Tell me you love me only  
And that you'll always, let it be me  
Each time we meet love  
I find complete love  
Without your sweet love what would life be?

"So, what are we gonna do after breakfast Bella?" Edward says, interrupting our comfortable silence.

"Don't know," I say, spearing a strawberry with my fork. I look out the window and it is drizzling a bit. "We can't really go outside can we?" I say to Edward, gesturing for him to look back.

"Hrmphf," Edward says, taking a forkful of cheesy eggs into his mouth. I reach for my orange juice and start to drink but then he continues, "Well, we can just stay in our pajamas all day and watch movies in your bed all day." I accidentally snort orange juice up my nostrils and I choke a bit at the mention of staying in bed all day with Edward. He is quick with giving me napkins, taking my glass away, helping to wipe the orange juice that is oozing out of my nose and dripping down the front of my pajama top. I feel my face start to warm up and I know I'm blushing furiously. Edward chuckles lightly and says, "Well, I guess you need to change out of your pajamas and put yourself into a new pair before our rainy day movie marathon happens huh?"

After I washed my face, brushed my teeth, and I'm in a new pair of pajamas, Edward comes into my room with 2 DVDs. "There wasn't much to choose from Bella," he says, holding up _Beauty & the Beast_ and _The Little Mermaid_. "Most of your parent's DVD collection consists of various Food Network Stars cooking DVDs or various fishing hook DVD tutorials. I'm guessing Disney is played when they sometimes babysit our friends rugrats."

Edward pops in _Beauty & the Beast _first. I didn't make my bed this morning and since it is my bed, I crawl under the covers to get more comfortable. I was thinking Edward was just going to lie on top of the covers but he surprises me when he slides in next to me. "Don't hog the sheets Bella. You're sharing them with me."

We start to watch the movie as the rain continues to pitter-patter outside. There have been a handful of rainy mornings in the middle of a work week that I just wanted to play hooky and be lazy like I am right now. But this lazy rainy day beats all the rainy day dreaming I could ever have because I have Edward in my childhood bed, keeping it warm with me.

"Well, good morning sleepyhead. You missed some dancing plates and utensils," Edward muses as I realize I managed to doze off for a bit while he got stuck watching the movie by himself.

"Sorry," I mutter, still trying to wake up, and then yawn. I close my eyes again and then I hear the click of a remote control.

"You know what Bella, I like your change to our rainy day plans instead," Edward says. I open my eyes slowly and see him fluffing up a pillow and then laying his head down next to mine. "A nap would be good."

"Aww, but I was looking forward to watching _The Little Mermaid_," I say, my voice still heavy with sleep. "Remember when _The Little Mermaid_ came out and I wanted to be like Ariel. I even grew my hair out long like her?" Edward pushes my bangs away from my forehead and nods his head. "My mom wouldn't let me dye my hair red like her though. She called me crazy for wanting to do that."

"I'm glad she didn't. I prefer brunettes," Edward says, pulling the covers up more around us. I close my eyes again and let out a sigh. Suddenly, I am reminded of a random childhood memory and I chuckle to myself.

"What are you laughing about over there?" Edward asks. I open up one eye and see Edward's eyes are now closed but he is smiling to himself. I smile to myself too because he looks so comfortable and looks so good right now in my bed. I close my eyes and burrow my head into my pillow even more and wiggle a bit to get closer to Edward.

"As a kid, I secretly nicknamed Jacob, Sebastian, and you were Flounder," I say and then I feel Edward shift closer to me.

"Is that so?" Edward says. "So you see Jacob as an annoying little crab and I'm a guppy?" I giggle to myself and then suddenly my giggles are stopped when I feel Edward's big hand on my hip, pulling me to him. I open my eyes again and see his eyes are still closed, and his face is fully relaxed. Well, if he's comfortable and I'm comfortable, I don't mind napping this close to him. I close my eyes and start to focus on his breathing but then he interrupts the silence.

"I've always wanted to be a talking fish," Edward says and I can hear the big smile in his voice. "Alright Ariel, I think we need to get you back to dreamland," he grazes his lips on my forehead, and then he quickly kisses it before I realize what he's done. He hugs me closer to his chest and then he starts to hum _Part of Your World_ softly. The melody and feeling the vibrations of his voice going through his chest against my chest are what gets me to fall asleep immediately in his arms.

I am awoken a few hours later to a car door slamming outside. I grab my cell phone off the night stand and see it is 1:15 in the afternoon. Edward and I practically slept half the day away. I poke Edward in the chest lightly a few times, he stirs a bit, his green eyes slowly open, and then he lazily smiles at me.

"Hey, sorry I woke you up but Charlie's home," I quietly say to him. He stretches and mewls a bit like a tiger or lion and I can't help the goofy grin that comes to me.

"We still take the best naps together," he says, burrowing his head back into the pillow. I had to giggle at the memories of Renee telling us we had to have nap time each day after school. She claimed it was good for us to calm down after a long school day and to let our brains rest for a bit. It was only when we were older we realized nap time for us meant watching Julia Child cooking time on TV for her.

"Edward we need to get up. Charlie will be coming in the front door any second now," I say unconvincingly since I too am not making any moves to get away from the comfort of my bed. I get no response from him but silence. "Fine, I'm gonna head downstairs to help set up lunch for us," I say, getting out of bed.

My movement from the bed finally gets a response, "Fine. I'm up too," he says, running his fingers through his sexy bed hair. "What's the point of staying in bed if you aren't gonna keep the other side of the bed warm?"

"Body heat. Glad I could be useful to you Edward," I say, running my fingers through my hair as well, trying to calm it down.

"You provide me more than body heat Bella," Edward says in my ear and then steps to my side. "You also are my personal alarm clock since you tend to wake up before me always," and with that he chuckles and slaps my butt, heading for the door. I scurry towards him and return the favor by smacking his butt too. "It's because your snoring always wakes me up," I say with a roll of my eyes.

"You snore too," Edward says, opening the door, gesturing for me to go out first.  
"I do not," I protest.  
"Yes, you do," my favorite side smile making an appearance.  
"No, I don't. I might breathe heavy but I don't snore," I say, noticing my voice is getting progressively higher and offended.

"Well, whatever you do in your sleep, I don't mind it my sleeping snoring beauty," he says, pinching my nose. I'm caught off guard and I make a weird grating noise. "See, even when you're awake you still snore." I shove his hand away and walk faster to get away from him. It is only seconds before I feel his arm draped over my shoulders.

"I'm sorry Bella, you know I'm just teasing you," he says, his honest green eyes looking down at me. "Besides, I love waking up next to you."

We get to the stair landing, just as we hear Charlie put his key in the deadbolt. He gently removes his arm away from me with a look of disappointment. Edward makes a gesture towards the bathroom door and I nod my understanding.

I am halfway down the stairs when Charlie opens the front door. "Hey Bells. I'm ready for lunch. How about you?" he asks, taking off his jacket and gun belt. I nod my head and Charlie and me both walk into the kitchen. He immediately sees the chocolate squares Renee had Edward and me try earlier that day. He samples a few of them and grunts his approval with each one. My father may not be a man of many words but if he doesn't like something he'll say it with actual words. If he grunts, it means he's happy. Renee took it a step further saying she has a personal 'Charlie grunt' scale that measures how much he likes something whether it pertains to her food or in bed. I gagged when she told me that. Luckily, the sound of plates and glasses being set on tabletop zaps me out of those disturbing thoughts, which was way too much information my mother had given me. I decide to go to the fridge to take out lunch to warm up. As I'm taking the meatloaf out, Edward walks in and starts helping by sliding in next to me and taking out the side dishes.

"I ran into Grandma Black earlier today while I was at the bakery," Charlie says, taking piece of meatloaf and dipping it into some mashed potatoes & gravy. "So, when are you gonna start settling down Bells?" he asks. _Shit. I knew Charlie mentioning Grandma Black wasn't going to be good._

"Umm..." I say, suddenly really interested in making designs in my mashed potatoes and gravy.

"Now Bells, you know I usually don't meddle in your life, that's usually what your mom does," he says, taking a bite out of his buttered bread roll. "I'm proud of you. You've got a great career and you have a life out there in California. You don't do anything stupid." _I'm just waiting for the _But_ to drop_. "But we don't want to see you growing old all alone." _Yep, he had definitely talked to Grandma Black today._

It was the second time that day I was seated at that table as I pushed my plate back, appetite gone. "You know Dad, I'm not feeling so well. I'm just gonna go lie down and take a nap…I, um, I have cramps." Charlie's face immediately pales and really starts digging into his plate of food. I stand and start to grab my plate to clear it off when Edward stops me, "I got it Bella. You go upstairs and lay down."

I nod my head numbly and with a heavy heart I make my way up the stairs. _Wow, even Charlie was turning against me._ I never understood why being alone, especially for a female, has such a bad stigma. Sometimes it's awesome being a party of just one. I don't have to check-in with anyone before I can go out or purchase something. If I want to eat a whole pint of ice cream by myself, I can and no one is gonna judge me. I can watch stupid stuff on TV and no one is gonna come into the room and complain about my bad taste in television shows. Honestly, I'm usually fine by myself. But it does suck when I'm at a party, I look to my left, to my right, and straight ahead of me, and I see couples everywhere. But no one wants to hear the complaints of a single girl I've learned, so over the years, I just learned to shut up. Plus, no single girl wants the pity when she confesses that sometimes the loneliness is too much and she cries herself to sleep far too many times than she'd like to. And right now, is one of those moments when I'm being reminded once again how much it sucks to be single. Some days the energy put forth to be brave, to be happy, and to smile for the world is just too much especially when it feels like the world is constantly reminding me that I'm not good enough for someone else to want to be around 24/7. I'm not good enough for someone's love, attention, and care for the rest of their life. I am going to be 30 years old in a few days, and even though I love myself and take care of myself, some days it'd be nice to have somebody there by my side with the type of love reserved for me that I've never known. I can't help the tears that fall down my face.

Suddenly I hear a knock on my door, "Bella, can I come in?"

I quickly wipe my tears away but don't bother to sit up or pull the blanket off of me, "Yes."

"Bella, uh, where are...oh," Edward realizes I'm in bed. "Oh sorry, I didn't realize you were really gonna lay down and take a nap," he says, talking to me even though my back is still turned towards him.

"I'm not," trying to sound normal.

"Oh well...ugh. What are you..." Edward starts to say and then let's out an exasperated breath. "Bella I can't do this," he says, annoyed. _Good, he's leaving, I didn't want him to see me cry_. I close my eyes and wait for the click of the door closing that eventually comes, mercifully. Maybe taking another nap before going to Jacob's bachelor party tonight is a good idea. I'm sure I was in for a long night of being around drunks guys. I was going to need all my strength and energy to be around that mess. But just when I'm about to toss and turn to burrow myself in bed, suddenly I feel the bed dip on my right side and the blanket lifts up, cool air hitting me. Edward grabs me and turns me into his body. "I like to see who I'm trying to hold a conversation with, especially you," Edward says and then takes my chin and raises my face up towards his gently. "Bella open your eyes please," he says. I open them and then his face falls, "You've been crying." I nod silently, closing my eyes again, and I just lay there, doing nothing. "Dammit, I hate seeing you cry. What's wrong?"

The great thing about Edward is whenever I'm sad, he lets me be sad. We could be riding phone lines or be inches apart but he lets me be silent. He never leaves my side. If I want him to hold me, he will. He won't say anything until I've calmed down and cried it all out. He'll be patient until I'm ready to talk. So, there we lay, for about 5 minutes together in silence.

I quietly ask him, "Why were you freaking out over me going to the party yesterday?"

Edward chuckles a little, making my head go up and down on his chest for a little bit. "Well, that wasn't what I was expecting to come out of your mouth after I discover you in bed crying." He waits for me to respond but he knows I won't. "It was the longest I was going to be away from you since we've been back in Forks."

I wasn't expecting that answer from him. We lay together on the bed for another minute. "You're all talked out Bella?" I nod my head. "Alright. Whenever you're good, we can get ready to go out. I'm taking you to Three Rivers again for dinner tonight. I have to make sure you've got some good food in your system before we celebrate the dwindling days of Jacob's bachelor life tonight with some beer and shots." I snuggle into him a little more, and he starts to run his fingers through my hair repeatedly, his touch very soothing on me. "For the time being, we can just lay here together. I'm happy right now laying here with you. I hope you are too." I close my eyes and say to myself, _Yes_. I'm pretty sure Edward heard me somehow because he gives my forehead a kiss.

A/N: I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Marissa. When I set out to write this chapter, I had no clue what occupation Renee would have. But I just pushed through and then randomly, one night, Renee 'talked' to me. She wanted to be a successful baker and seller/lover of all things sweet. So, as soon as I started writing more about Renee, I thought of my dear friend Marissa, who is also very accomplished in the kitchen and has a sweet tooth she doesn't ignore when it starts to ache.

Also, Twivember is coming up so soon. I've got various Twilight events I'm going to for the first 2 weeks of November. I've got weddings and important birthdays to celebrate in November as well. Plus, Thanksgiving added into the mix of fun. So, as you can see, I've got A LOT going on. But I'm not abandoning this story, I'll be continuously working on it. It's just gonna take a little bit longer to get an update possibly out. I'm sorry for that. But don't worry, I'll be back before you even know it.


	7. Chapter 7

Note: Twilight and its characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. This story is mine.  
A/N: I am so sorry for the really long delay with this chapter update but real life happened A LOT in the past few months. Hope you all had a great holiday season…happy reading.

**Slow Jam, Slow Jelly**

Chapter 7 - Workin' Double Time on the Seduction Line

"Hey Edward, do you mind if you help me with tying the laces on my shoes please?" I ask, knocking on the half open door and then tip-toeing into his room.

I caught him in mid-dress; he was pulling down a white undershirt, covering up his lightly toned stomach. His head spun in my direction and his eyebrows perked up, a pleasant smirk on his face making an appearance.  
"Oh sorry, I can come back when you're done getting dressed," I say a little embarrassed, reaching back for the door knob.

"No, no, come in Bella," he says, putting on a red plaid button-down. I give him a smile and make my way over to his bed, all the while I feel Edward's glare run up and down my body as he's buttoning up his shirt. I look down at my outfit: tight black denim shorts, somewhat loose v-neck white t-shirt, and those studded spiked Jeffrey Campbell booties dangling from my fingers. Not exactly sexy or revealing but I feel like he's looking at me like I'm prancing around in my underwear in front of him right now.

I finally sit down on his bed and place the shoes on my lap. I look up at him and he laughs a bit nervously. He takes my shoes and starts to bend down in front of me. I feel the heat of his stare go down every inch of my legs. I smile to myself, taking the advice from Alice and Rosalie was definitely working.

**_Earlier that evening_**  
"HE DID WHAT!?" both Alice and Rosalie shrieked into the phone after I updated them on what I've been up to since I've been back to Forks. From my retelling of events, they are definitely now on Team Edward. Edward helping me with my shoes was both very chivalrous and really sexy, and by far, their most favorite Edward and Bella moment they confessed to me so far.  
"Maybe he has a shoe fetish," Rosalie tries to reason.  
"Nah girl…Edward has a Bella fetish," Alice says and then practically screams into the phone. "You need to slut it up more Bella! Flash him your black lace covered boobs next time!" I blush furiously while my two closest girlfriends laugh it up like hyenas on the other end of the line. When things quiet down, Rosalie adds, "From now on, you have that boy help you with putting on your shoes okay missy."

I hear Edward clear his throat and my thoughts about my girly conversation with Alice and Rosalie while I was getting dressed and ready for a night out disappears. "All done sexy spikes...and stems," Edward says, and then licks his lips.

_Well, if he's flirting with me, I'm gonna flirt back_, I think to myself and muster up some sexy courage for my Edward.

I ruffle his hair up a bit and tug the ends lightly before saying, "Thanks for your help handsome." And with that I leave his room, his eyebrows cocked in surprise amusement, and the sounds of my heels on the wooden floor hopefully masking how hard and loud my heart is beating for him.

Just like Edward promised, he took me to Three Rivers for dinner. He wanted to make sure I had a good meal in my belly before I was pounding back shots with Jacob and the other groomsmen. So, with a full belly and smiling from spending all this time with Edward, we eventually pull up to the Oceanaire Tavern, one of the best surf and turf restaurants in Port Angeles. They recently added a secret exclusive bar called Noble Experiment that is being shut down for tonight just for Jacob's bachelor party. The head chef of the restaurant, Christian, went to culinary school with Jacob. So, he jumped at the chance at extending an invite to where he works at so Jacob can properly say goodbye to his bachelor days. Jacob geeked out over how the mixologists at Noble Experiment use uncommon ingredients in their signature cocktails like hot Sriracha chili sauce or raw egg. Furthermore, the mixologists definitely knew how to make a good, strong drink and made sure every drink satisfied every guest. Plus, Jacob loved how Noble Experiment gives the bar guests the experience of a speakeasy, except in our present day, the experience is legal. Jacob couldn't have asked for a more perfect place to have his bachelor party.

Edward opens the car door for me and helps me put on my leather jacket. Having his warm body so close to me, I notice he has misbuttoned his red plaid shirt. I point it out to him and he starts to unbutton his shirt in embarrassment right in front of me. I reach my hands out to stop and comfort his fumbling hands. Then I start to unbutton and rebutton his shirt the right way. Being this close to Edward, I can feel his warm breath falling down on me gently with each rise and fall of his chest. It's a bit distracting to be quite honest since I oddly find it sexy that he's breathing down on me. My mind begins to wander and I'm suddenly imagining him breathing down on me but his body is naked up against me. His breath is more labored, trying to catch his breath, exerting a lot of grunts of approval in a dark room. So, I am surprised a minute later that I managed to loop all of his shirt buttons through all the right holes even though in my head I've practically had sex with him.

"Thanks for undressing me and redressing me Bella," he says, looking down at me. He gently cups my chin and lifts my head up even more to him. I bite my lip in nervousness because he just keeps staring down at me with such intensity. I then feel the pad of his thumb lightly pull down my bottom lip, effectively freeing it from my lip bite. He slowly starts to lean into me more and before I realize what's happening, he lightly grazes his lips against mine. When our lips touch, I feel a small spark run through me. I think Edward felt it too because he pulls back a fraction away from me and looks down at me with concern. I let out a small breath between us and I decide to close the distance between us again. I lightly graze his lips back and that spark I felt a few seconds earlier is back. Suddenly, I feel Edward's hands grab my waist, pulling me into his body. Edward looks down deeply into my eyes, silently asking permission if all of this is okay with me. I nod my head slightly and my favorite crooked smile makes an appearance but this time it's laced a bit with shyness. This is new for us. But as the fog rolls in and the mist starts to envelop the both of us, Edward finally kisses me. The kiss is a chaste one but it's amazing. It's like he's savoring and memorizing every curve, every line of my lips.

A little too early for my liking, he pulls away slowly. He looks down at the ground, bashful, and then pokes my side lightly. "Hey," he offers up to me.

"Hey," I reply back. He pulls me into a hug and then looks down at me, a mixture of embarrassment and a look of relief on his face.

"I, um, I…I had to kiss you Bella," Edward says a bit breathless but his hold on my waist doesn't waiver. "I'm sorry if I crossed a line."  
I let out a small breath I didn't even know I was holding, "Don't apologize. I obviously wanted you to kiss me too. I really…"

Suddenly, we hear loud laughter and we both see Paul burst out of the door of Oceanaire with a blonde-haired guy.

"Well, look who's finally joined the party," Paul says, taking a cigarette out. His blonde buddy, upon further inspection is James Sutton, another idiot I always made a point to avoid while growing up in Forks. James looks me up and down like I'm a piece of meat and I feel sick. Edward senses my unease and pulls me to his side, draping his arm around my shoulders. I look up in gratitude at him and I notice him side eyeing both Paul and James. He rolls his eyes at the two punks and I smirk up at him. "You ready Bella?" he asks, taking his arm off of me and instead chooses to offer his hand for me to hold. I roll my eyes too at the rude intruders that ruined our pretty intimate moment together earlier but I happily take Edward's hand. He gives me a wink, checks to make sure he locks the car, and then we make our way to the entrance of the restaurant.

"Hey Paul, James," Edward calls out as we walk towards them, his hand refusing to let me go. I nod my head up in acknowledgement to both of them as we walk by and they nod back at me. I shiver slightly and get closer to Edward when James starts to lick his lips in complete creeper fashion.

"Well, this party got more fun and interesting," James says just as Edward opens the door and ushers the both of us in.

We are greeted by an overly friendly curly red-haired hostess as soon as she sees Edward. But the friendliness is taken down a peg when she scans down and sees Edward is still holding my hand. "Good evening, welcome to Oceanaire Tavern. Do you have a reservation? Or do you need a table for two?" she asks. Edward says no and then she breaks out into a devious smile.

"We're actually here for the Bachelor Party tonight," Edward quickly adds. The door opens up behind us with more restaurant patrons entering the restaurant but the cool night air makes me shiver slightly. Edward immediately wraps his arm around me and rubs my shoulder in comfort and warmth. The hostess lets out a small exasperated sigh and then says in a defeated done, "Follow me please." She takes us towards a lounge area and where a small bar is located. This part of the restaurant is a bit quieter and more secluded for sure. There is a floor to ceiling wall of kegs and then she touches one of the kegs. "Just push this keg," she points to a keg that has a sticker of a mermaid on it and _The_ _Green Flash _beer logo printed in big bold letters. "And you'll find the rest of your party. We hope you enjoy the rest of your night," she says quickly and then walks away, leaving Edward and I a bit confused with her instructions.

Edward raises a curious eyebrow at me. "Well, Jacob did say it was a secret bar," I reason with Edward. "There is only one way to find out right?" I push on the keg like the hostess instructed us to do. And to both our surprise, a part of the wall of kegs moves. The first thing we see is a small, dimly lit lobby area with rustic wood paneling and a huge picture window of an aquarium built into one of the walls. The secret keg door closes behind us and we hear soft tinkling musical notes coming from a piano. We look towards the direction of where the music is coming from. The piano is tucked in the corner of the room and we also discover the melody is actually some phantom song since no one is seated at the piano bench. A few more piano notes are played and I nudge Edward in his side. "Yeah, I've never heard _You Shook Me All Night Long _played on a piano before as well," he muses and then lifts his head to explore what else is in the room. There are a few plush lounge chairs and a dark green velvet fainting couch. On the wall directly facing us, there is a red lit up neon sign that says Noble Experiment and a life-size knight in shining armor, posed and pointing to what looks like a small hallway. We make our way to the small hallway and discover that the hallway walls are adorned with hundreds of golden skulls. The hallway is even more dimly lit and it's definitely much colder and feels damp. "Well, this place is definitely not insulated well," Edward jokes and then a small drop of water falls on his forehead. "This hallway reminds me a bit of your summer Europe photos and how you went to the Paris catacombs one day." Edward reaches up and wipes the water droplet off his face. He then grabs my hand and smiles down at me, "Come on, let's explore this place even more." So, we venture together down this dark, scary hallway full of golden skulls staring at us from both sides. Before it gets too morbid, we see faint light to right of the end of the hallway. When we finally reach the end of the hallway, we are relieved to see all our friends drinking, laughing, and carrying on their conversations. Most of them are huddled up in groups, sitting on white leather upholstered booth seats that are set up against a backdrop of a red shimmery damask wall covering. Various mirror paneled tables have small bowls of finger foods like cashews, chips, and olives sitting on top of them. There is a cool black and white checkered marble board floor that my heels click-clack upon and some of our friends look up and wave at Edward and me. I look up and there is a cool vaulted ceiling with weird paintings of interesting men, women, and even animals, from various eras, suspended in the air from some of the ceiling beams. We finally spy Jacob at the impressive bar. The many bottles of alcohol are set on some glass shelves and lit up like they are pieces of art in a museum. In fact, the shelves are even framed with elegant white crown moulding. And quite possibly the treasured jewel of the bar is the huge sparkling crystal chandelier hanging above it all. I nudge Edward and say, "Wow, this place is like some fancy pirate bar and The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland all in one." I get a good laugh out of him for that one and Edward's laughter gets Jacob's attention.

"Bells! Edward! You two finally made it!" Jacob bellows from the bar. We pass by the rest of the party guests, high-fiving and having them raise their glasses at us in welcome. Jacob pulls out a seat for Edward and me, and then flags over someone. "Hey Garrett! I found another groomsman. And my bad ass groomswoman Bella is here." A really tall, gangly man dressed in a brown corduroy vest, bow tie, and rocking a handlebar mustache makes his way towards us.

"Welcome to Noble Experiment. I am Garrett," he says and then extends his hand out to me first. "Nice to meet you Bella. And your name sir?" he turns his attention to Edward and offers a handshake to him. "Glad you two could join us tonight. May I direct your attention to the other side of the bar where Marcus, the gentleman in the paperboy cap, and Benjamin, the gentleman wearing the bowler hat and suspenders, will be your other mixologists tonight." Garrett lets out a small whistle and both Marcus and Benjamin salute us with a smile. "Alright, now that proper introductions have been made, ladies first. What special drink can I start you off with fair Bella? Are you in the mood for something sweet, something strong, something spicy tonight? Maybe you're in the mood for all three?" Garrett winks and I see both Edward and Jacob stiffen in their seats.

"Those are some loaded questions Garrett," I answer, looking at the handwritten calligraphy cocktail menu.

"She's a whiskey girl," Edward says, volunteering that information about myself. I can't help but smile at him and my heart warms a bit that Edward always and remembers my favorite things.  
"Thank you Edward," Garrett says and then takes down a good quality bottle of whiskey. "Now Miss Bella, do you wanna make your first drink Dealer's Choice? I know your favorite spirit now," he says, showcasing the whiskey bottle to me. "I'll just take care of the rest. Is that good for you?" Garrett asks with a wink again.

"That's good for me Garrett," I say, giggling a bit because this guy is really working it to make sure he's getting a good tip tonight.

Edward clears his throat loudly and says, "I'll get Dealer's Choice too Garrett. But I'd like cognac as my choice please." And with a bow Garrett excuses himself to start making our drinks.

Jacob slides a bowl of mixed nuts towards us just as he sees Paul and James reenter the bar. "Dumbass Paul. He invited James to my party without my permission," Jacob says, sending death glares to Paul and James. "Hey Garrett, could I get 9 shot glasses please and some good top shelf vodka," Jacob asks through a mouthful of nuts. Garrett lines up 9 shot glasses, bookends them with a Ketel One bottle and 3 glasses of pineapple juice as chasers. Jacob takes the Ketel One and starts filling each shot glass up. "Come on, Bells, Edward, bottoms up. 3 shots each. One for the past, one for the present, and one for the future," he says, disturbing the shots and the companion chaser to us.

And that is how most of Jacob's bachelor party night goes. More drinks are enjoyed and glasses are clinked together in celebration. Conversations about the better days and being nostalgic for days gone by are shared with one another for hours. I am on a good buzz and I casually keep grazing my hand over Edward's upper thigh. He slowly halts my movements and then asks in a hushed, playful tone, "What'cha doing Bella?" _Hrmphf, Edward is pretty drunk too._

I whisper in his ear that I was gonna go to the ladies restroom. He nods his head, whispers a _Hurry back please Bella_, and then kisses the top of my forehead affectionately. Whatever is going on between us has definitely become more than friendly and we're obviously both fine with this development. I start to get up with Edward's help and then I see a slack jawed Jacob with crudely chewed chips in his mouth. I give Edward an apologetic look. My small bladder really needs to be relieved and I'm leaving him here by himself to be interrogated by Jacob and some of our friends that witnessed the forehead kiss. He slyly brushes me off and I make my way to the ladies restroom. After using the bathroom, I decide to hang out in the little sitting area the ladies restroom has. I think I also needed a little breather from all that testosterone packed in that room. I check my phone and realize it's almost midnight. There are a few text messages from Rosalie and Alice, and I can't wait to call them tomorrow to update them on my night. And more importantly, that kiss Edward and I had. After a few more minutes of daydreaming of Edward, I decide to head back to the bar. I walk out of the ladies restroom and I am immediately bombarded by a familiar man.

"Well, well, well...look at what we have here, little Bella all by herself," James says, getting uncomfortably close to me. "Now the real fun can begin," he snarls in my ear and then puts his hands on my chest. His bad breath coupled with the alcohol he's consumed and his atrocious cologne makes me want to gag. I snatch his hands away from me and then slap him really hard right across his face. I gather up all my spit and spew it all out all over his face. He is shocked and just as I'm about to knee him in the balls, he shoves me up against the wall. His right hand is holding both my wrists up above my head, his left hand covering my mouth, and he starts to grind himself up against me. I am trying my best to buck him off of me and to bite his hand so I can scream but I am struggling underneath his strength.

Suddenly, I see a flash of bronze in the corner of my eye and before I realize what is happening Edward is punching James in the face. Edward hits him so hard he falls on the floor with a huge thud and he is out cold. Edward immediately wraps me in his arms and tries to calm me down. "You're shaking like a leaf. Are you okay?" he steps back, cradles my face in both of his hands, and looks at me from head to toe. "Did he hurt you?" I shake my head no and then we see James stir a bit but he doesn't get up. Edward takes his cell phone out, fuming as he says, "Hey Paul, you better take your friend James home...what do you mean why? I just saw him assault Bella, grinding his pencil dick up against her...yeah, uh-huh, I thought so."

As soon as Edward ends his call, Edward wraps his arm protectively around me, as he keeps a close eye on James. And then I see Jacob run into the hallway and picks up James off the floor who was slowly starting to wake up. He slams James up against the wall. Jacob seethes right in James's frightened face, "Who the hell do you think you are punk!" Jacob punches James in the stomach and he crouches over in pain. The rest of the party joins us in the hallway and I use that distraction to break away from Edward's arms. I dart over to James and finally kick him right in the crotch. All the guys let out a painful groan, some instinctively cover up their groin area.

"Paul take your creepy ass friend away please," I try to say as calmly as possible. But it's obvious I'm still traumatized over what has just happened, so my voice betrays me and it shakes a bit. I run back into the bathroom and head straight to the sink to splash some cool water on my face. I hear a knock on the door followed by Edward's voice saying he was coming in. He sees my wet face and grabs a stack of paper towels and brings me over to the couch in the sitting area of the bathroom.

Jacob swings open the ladies restroom door and yells, "Yo Bells! You oka… whoa, the girl's bathrooms are really nice." Jacob takes in the new surroundings and then plops down on one of the lounge chairs across from Edward and me. "No wonder you all go together in a pack and stay for a long time," he says as he pokes a floral arrangement on a side table. "Whoa! These are real."

Edward lets out an exasperated sigh and rolls his eyes at Jacob before turning his attention to me. His face softens, "You sure you're okay? You sure he didn't hurt you?" I nod my head affirmatively. "So, you ready to head home now Bella?" Edward asks as he wraps his around me and pulls me closer to him.

"No, no...we're here to celebrate Jacob. I'll be fine. I'm fine," I say, snuggling into Edward even more.  
"You're sure you're okay Bells?" Jacob eyes me.  
"Yes, I'm fine. The situation was handled," I say.

"Fuck yeah the situation was handled. You really are my bad ass Bella," Jacob says with his mile wide grin as he high fives me. "Come on, Christian just got off his shift and he came to the party with food. There are trays of oysters, lobster, shrimp, some prime rib, a huge chocolate cake. We're gonna get our grub on," he sings and then does a little booty dance as he walks out the door.

"Let's go Edward, I want chocolate cake," I say as I get up and then offer my hand to him. He puts his hand in mine, gets up, and then pulls me into a tight hug. I smile into his chest and I whisper a muffled _Thank You_ to him. He kisses the top of my head and then steps slightly away from me. He cradles my face in his hands and then places a small kiss at the end of my nose. Edward grabs my hand again, starts pulling me towards the door, and says, "Come on, we better head back now to make sure you get a slice of that chocolate cake. Those guys are like a pack of hungry wolves when they see food. " I laugh along with him and it's another life reaffirming moment for me that Edward has always been my _one_.

As soon as we enter the bar, Edward makes a beeline to the chocolate cake, cutting up two huge wedges for us. "I'm not really that hungry but I figured you'd probably want my slice anyway, so that's why I got two," Edward says as he leans back into the booth. _Yup, another life reaffirming moment, Edward is my one. _I give him a small discreet kiss just below his ear after I whisper my thanks, and I lean back into the booth with him as well. I offer my first bite of cake to him and he happily devours what I'm offering him.

And so the celebration continues, with our bellies full on good food and good drinks and being surrounded by good friends enjoying a good buzz until last call. When it's time to leave, Jacob Black drunkenly stumbles out of his bachelor party a very happy man.

After we get Jacob and Seth home safely, Edward helps me get up to my room. He turns down my bed and then sets down a trash can by the side of my bed. He excuses himself out of the room with a hushed explanation of _I'll be right back_. Still on a good alcoholic buzz, I clumsily change into a tank top and pajama shorts. I hear a knock at the door before I see Edward peek his head in. He walks into my room and hands me two glasses of water, "Here, drink both of these before I tuck you into bed." He sits down next to me on the bed and patiently waits until I have consumed all the water he's given me.

"Thank you again Edward," I say, setting down the empty second glass on my nightstand.  
"Anytime Bella," Edward quietly says as he rubs my back in a soothing manner. I put my head on his shoulder and ask, "Edward...why am I such a loser?"  
Edward tilts his down to look at me with a confused face, "You are not a loser."  
"James is a loser. I seem to attract just losers so that makes me a loser," I confess, covering up my face slightly with my hands.  
Edward pulls both of my hands away and says directly in my face, "James is a loser but you're not a loser. I don't hang out with losers."  
I let out a snort and then a surprise drunken hiccup comes out of me, "How do you explain Jacob then?"  
Edward starts to chuckle lightly and the vibrations of his laughter feel so good against me, "You're being a smart ass. Good. You're starting to sober up."  
"Thanks for being there," I say, reaching out and touching the side of his neck.  
"Always Bella," he says, reaching up and covering my hand on his neck.

I'm pretty certain I still have _a lot_ of liquid courage in me because I suddenly grab him by his shirt and pull him down on top of me, my back hitting the mattress. The weight of him on top of me is delicious. I start giving his lips some small, quick pecks, and in no time, he presses his lips firmly against mine. He starts to suck on my top lip and then my bottom lip, and then goes back to kissing me, this time harder and with more force. I can still taste the chocolate cake on his tongue.

"Bella, I can still taste whiskey on you," he says cautiously but his kissing doesn't let up.  
"Who cares," I sigh back, opening my legs up a little more so I can feel more of him. Edward takes that opportunity I give him and I welcome him closer to me.  
"You don't know how long I've fantasized about kissing you like this," he breaths into the side of my neck and starts nibbling and sucking on the skin there. He keeps rubbing small circles with his thumbs on my stomach. I take both of his hands and inches them up to my chest. He lets out a gasp but I can tell he is pleased to find out I'm not wearing a bra. He's still hesitant about touching me so I grab both of his hands and put them directly on me. He groans loudly and when he looks down at me, I nod my head up at him to let him know everything's okay. He starts to caress my breasts, feeling the weight of them in his hands. _So soft_, _so damn soft _her murmurs in my ear. He starts to tease my nipples, causing me to moan loudly, and I feel a rush of wetness come out of me from down there. He must know the effect he's having on me because he keeps grinding himself harder against where I am aching to have him.  
"Ugggh, Edward…fuck me" I moan into his neck. Edward freezes. And before I can properly register what is happening, his hands are off my breasts, and he slides off of me. He faces away from me as he tries to discreetly adjust himself. He lets out a breath and then looks back at me.  
"Bella, you don't know how much I want you..." he starts to say and then cups my face in his hands, peppering my face with small kisses. "But you're still drunk. I'm not gonna do this with you when you're like this," he says and then pulls me into his body. "I'm sorry baby."

I am feeling extremely embarrassed and rejected right now. I start to come out of my drunken state of mind and I realize my dry humping session with Edward is over. I feel saddened and definitely self-conscious about what happened between Edward and me. But then his voice echoing in my head telling me, _I'm not gonna do this with you when you're like this_...I realize, _Wait, a minute,_ _he wants a next time?_ I lightly nod my head in understanding to him and he lightly kisses my lips. I look up into his green eyes and say, "Just don't leave me okay? Everyone keeps leaving me behind. I couldn't handle it if you left me too."

"I won't. I couldn't," Edward reassures me, taking the blanket and covering the both of us. "Sleep my Bella. I'm right here."


	8. Chapter 8

Note: Twilight and its characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. This story is mine.

Chapter 8 – How do you do it, make me feel like I do

_**Screeeech, bump, bump, bump. Screeeeech.**_

"What the fu…" I jolt up from the bed, followed immediately by Edward. The rude awakening is even made more unbearable when I realize how hungover I am. I cover my face with my hands and then let my head fall back on my pillow. I feel Edward lay back down on his side of the bed, pulling up the covers around us again.

"How are you feeling Bella? You need anything?" Edward sleepily murmurs next to me.

_**Boom, boom, boom. Screech. Boom, Boom, Bump.**_

And then we hear the familiar, loud, obnoxious laughter from the one and only Jacob.

"What the…" I get up and fling on my robe. Edward follows behind me closely as I head out of the room, barreling down the stairs.

Edward and I both discover Jacob, Seth, and Sam in my parent's living room, _Rockband_ instruments set up.

"Good morrrrrning Bella," Jacob sings into the microphone, guitar chords and drum beats accompanying him. "You two wanna play next round?"

"No, I do not want to play next round. What is this foolishness? It's not even 8am!" I say, trying to unplug the game console. Jacob is quick though, picking me up, and plopping me down on the far couch of the living room. I hastily grab the crocheted quilt from the back of the couch and cocoon myself in it.

"What are you all doing here anyway? And how the hell are you so damn chipper this morning Jacob? You drank way more than I did last night," I say, laying down on the couch.

"Bella, this body," Jacob says as he lifts up his shirt to expose his six pack, "is made to inhale all kinds of food and alcohol without any consequences." I toss a throw pillow at his head but of course, he ducks down before it hits him.

Edward makes his way over to me on the couch, grabs both of my ankles, and props my feet up on his lap.

"Hey, you need anything? Water?...You hungry?" My annoyance with Jacob melts away as soon as I look at Edward's smiling face. He licks his lips as he musses up his bed hair. And then I am assaulted by images of where those lips were last night and why his hair is an unruly mess this morning.

_Zetus Lapetus_, I practically jumped Edward's bones last night.

And as if he can read my mind, Edward blushes.

Jacob clears his throat and I am annoyed once again at him. I turn my face towards Jacob and bitchface him.

"Yeah, you two look...hungry this morning," Jacob says with a smirk, looking between Edward and me. "Come on, I made breakfast; Deep-fried Monte Cristo sandwiches and mimosas." Jacob picks me up from the couch, throws me over his shoulder, and slaps my butt on the way to the kitchen.

After breakfast, I make my way back to the couch, grab the same crocheted blanket and wrap myself in it like a burrito. Sam and Seth left for their last tuxedo fitting. Although, as Sam was walking out, rubbing his full belly, he joked how it was probably not a good idea that he inhaled all that food prior to their appointments. We all laughed and then had a shared sobering moment as we all looked at Jacob; he was getting married on Saturday, which was two days away. _Where did the time go?_

I hear clicking of buttons next me, taking my thoughts back to the present. Edward is fiddling around with the Rockband guitar, looking through the video game's song arsenal. I hear him catch his breath for a second before he presses a few more buttons and then turns his attention towards me. "This song is dedicated to you…Bell-ar," and then he starts playing a pretty 'stellar' song.

Meet me in outer space  
We could spend the night  
Watch the Earth come up  
I've grown tired of that place  
Won't you come with me?  
We could start again  
How do you do it?  
Make me feel like I do  
How do you do it?  
It's better than I ever knew

It takes me a moment to realize what is really happening to me right now. I'm in a food daze and still slightly hungover but Edward _freaking_ Cullen is serenading me. It may be a plastic guitar and the background behind us are some video game graphics but this has got to be one of the sweetest moments of my life. Come to think of it, the majority of the sweetness in my life, Edward has been responsible for.

I inch even closer to him and nuzzle into his side. He looks down at me and plants a small kiss on my forehead. Then we both hear someone clear their throat behind us.

_**Screeeeeeech**_

"Hey Jacob, just thought I'd give this game a shot…You wanna play?" Edward asks a bit flustered, extending the toy guitar to him.  
"Nah, I think you're playing the game just fine Edward," plopping down in Charlie's leather recliner, his gaze looking at me, then back at Edward. "It's about time you started to play."

Edward clears his throat uncomfortably. "Yeah. I always loved the game. I just never got the courage until now to, umm, grab control." He scratches his scruff and then adds, "Thanks for breakfast by the way Jacob."

Jacob is about to say something when he hears his phone go off. He raises one finger and then motions he'll be in the other room to take this call. He looks at the face of his phone, a bit perplexed. "Hello...Jacob Black speaking," and then he walks away.

Edward and I sit in uncomfortable silence. I'm still wrapped up like a burrito in a blanket. He's scrolling through the video game's song catalog on the TV screen again. I know both of us need to discuss what happened last night up in my room. Growing up, we may have flirted with one another. We always knew there was an undeniable attraction with one another. But last night, we took it to a physical level. And I'm a bit scared because I don't know how to approach Edward with how I'm feeling right now. This is an odd feeling considering I've always gone to him to sort how I'm feeling about something. He always found a way to make my problems look beautiful instead of a mess.

"You got really quiet and you're biting your lip. Where'd you go Bella?" Edward asks, propping my feet up in his lap again.

I bring my thumb up to my mouth and start softly chewing on my cuticle. "I know that trick too Bella," he says, grabbing my hand and putting it down on my thigh. I look right into his eyes and decide to just bite the bullet and let him know what I'm feeling. I open my mouth but don't get too far when we hear Jacob coming back into the room, cursing to himself.

"Leah is gonna kill me!" Jacob yells and then starts to pull at his hair. Edward and I both turn around to see what has Jacob so pissed off about.  
"Why? What happened?" I ask. He looks down at me with tears in his eyes and frustration on his face.  
"I forgot to pick up the wedding bands from the engravers."


End file.
